
Compiled. £ ITrurraved 6z/ Tl^Jliuihes . ^Uchm Chambers , J'aterrwster Row. 



SCRIPTURE TOPOGRAPHY ; ^ 



BEING 

SOME ACCOUNT 

OP 

PLACES MENTIONED IN HOLY SCBIPTURE, 

GIVEN PRINCIPALLY IN 

extracts from tlje TOnrfo ot Crafollrai. 



THE GENTILE WORLD. 



<j k '\ 

PUBLISHED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF 
THE COMMITTEE OF GENERAL LITERATURE AND EDUCATION, 
APPOINTED BY THE SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING 
CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE. 



LONDON: 

PRINTED FOR THE 

SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE ; 

SOLD AT THE DEPOSITORY, 
GREAT QUEEN STREET, LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS, 
AND 4, ROYAL EXCHANGE j AND BY ALL BOOKSELLERS. 



MDCCCXLIX. 




LORDOS J 

. CLAF, PRINTER, BREAD STREET HILL. 



PREFACE. 



— ♦ — 

The present volume is intended as a companion 
to the " Topography of Palestine." 

It contains an account of most of those places 
mentioned in Scripture as inhabited by, and per- 
taining to, the Gentiles, of which any interesting 
particulars can be gathered at the present day. 

There is much to oppress the heart of the 
Christian as he dwells upon the state of Gen- 
tile lands. Of whole countries, and of innu- 
merable cities, it may still be said, " Darkness 
covers the earth, and gross darkness the people." 
In some places, Paganism usurps the throne of 
Jehovah, and remains undisturbed ; in others, the 
false prophet is worshipped by thousands ; while, 
(more melancholy still) in the nations of Chris- 
tendom, heresy and superstition, and the inven- 
tions of men, have so obscured the light of the 
Gospel, that few bright spots remain to hold forth 
in its purity the Word of Life. 

On the other hand, there is much to cheer the 
believer, as he stands upon his watch-tower, 
watching God's providential dealings with the 
. nations. For the everlasting Gospel is flying 
I abroad on its glorious message of peace, the 



IV 



PREFACE. 



" times of the Gentiles"'' are fast fulfilling, and 
the dark hour of earth's woe and wickedness in 
which we live, is nearest to the bright dawn of 
the "perfect day." 

While we read in these pages accounts of the 
various places in which the Gospel was preached, 
and in which Churches flourished, but where now 
vice, and misery, and darkness dwell ; or tremble 
at the awful doom which, according to prophetic 
warning, has fallen upon once mighty kingdoms ; 
let us plead at the throne of grace for " the 
Gentile world." 

Let us, by our prayers, our labours, and our 
lives, hasten the glorious time when earth's love- 
liest scenes shall be no longer disfigured by Pagan 
temples, or Mahommedan mosques, or Popish 
altars ; but from each distant land, and from every 
sea-girt isle, the voice of praise and adoration 
shall rise to God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. 

Then mountains and hills shall break forth into 
singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap 
their hands. Then the heavens shall sing, and 
the earth be joyful, because their King reigneth ; 
and Creation's groan of anguish shall be ex- 
changed for the chorus of universal praise. 

M. F. M. 

Newport, I. W. 
1849. 



INTRODUCTION. 



ON SCRIPTURE NAMES. 

"To illustrate the Holy Scriptures, let me begin with the 
names of the places of the country : — First, we will begin with 
the general name of the country. It is called e Bar Alsham, 5 
or the country of Shem. This at once proves that it is named 
after the great patriarch Shem ; and by this name it is called 
by the natives until this day. Syria, or Soria, is only a name 
given to the country by foreigners, on account of the enter- 
prize of the Phoenicians, whose capital was 6 Sorr/ — e Tyre, 5 — 
(Son* is the Hebrew word for Tyre,) and the navigating, 
and commercial, and colonizing inhabitants had been called 
Sorrians, after their capital ( Sorr' . . . The most ancient city 
on the face of the globe is Damascus ; it existed before 
Abraham, whose steward was Eleazar of Damascus. Jerusa- 
lem from the time of Melchizedek, till now, bears the same 
name . . . The same might be said of Joppa, Nazareth, Cana 
of Galilee, Sidon, (bearing the name of the patriarch its 
founder, till this day.) Antioch, where the believers were 
first called Christians, bears the same name till now. This 
will be more remarkable to us, when we find that places of 
great fame in Syria, have been called by almost all foreign 
authors by other names, yet in the country these names are 
unknown ; for example, Tyre is the Greek name for Sorr ; 
Tyre is the word used almost in all translations of the Bible, 
except the original, and yet no one in Syria understands what 



vi 



INTRODUCTION. 



Tyre is ; and though the city has received its fate according to 
prophecy, its recollection is known according to the original 
Sorr. Again, Palmyra is the name given to Tadmor. By the 
name Palmyra it is spoken of by all travellers, and ancient and 
modem authors ; yet if you ask a Syrian anything about Pal- 
myra, you might just as well ask the name of any place in the 
moon ; but if you ask about Tadmor, any one will tell you 
Tadmor is in the desert, built by Solqmon, son of David, king 
of Israel. Again, in the same country, there are places not 
mentioned in Scripture — their names are now changed; for 
example, Aleppo for the ancient Eolea, 1 &c. There are two 
principal rivers in Syria, Jordan and Orantes ; Jordan has 
retained its name until now, whereas Orantes is now called 
' Assia/ and no one amongst the natives knows it by its former 
name. These things will be more striking when we reflect 
that the country has had many conquerors and masters, with 
new languages, religions, and habits — the Greeks, the Persians, 
the Romans, the Saracens, the Crusaders, the Turks, &c. : yet 
in spite of all attempts to introduce fresh names, religions, and 
habits, the original names and customs have remained, and all 
modern vanished away. Por example, all recollections about 
the stupendous expedition of the Crusades have no tradition in 
the country now, nor are they known by the natives ; yet the 
bathing of N aaman the Syrian in the Jordan, and the cure of 
his leprosy, has its tradition. The birth of our blessed Lord 
in Bethlehem, the conversion of St. Paul near Damascus, are 
believed by the natives as facts ; and the very street called 
Straight, and the remains of the house of Ananias, are till this 
day seen in Damascus." — Voice from Lebanon, by Ass a ad y 
Kataat, pp. 326—328. 

1 It appears somewhat uncertain whether Aleppo does, or does not, 
represent the ancient Helbon. See " Hellion." 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 



SYRIA. 

PAGE 

Lebanon. — References to Lebanon in Scripture — View of Lebanon 
from Beyrout — Clear Atmosphere of Lebanon — Ascent of Lebanon 
— Valley of Bekaa — Night on Mount Lebanon — The Cedars — 
Tripoli — Village of Eden — Terrace cultivation — Villages, Eoun- 
tains, &c. Damascus. — Barren district — Sudden View of Da- 
mascus — Beautiful Suburbs — The Town itself — EineEruit — Descrip- 
tions of Damascus — Abana and Pharpar. The Hauran. — 

Boszra of Hauran — Ashtaroth — Edrei — Kenath, or Nobah. 

Tadmor in the Desert. Baalbec, probably the Baal-Gad 

and Baal-Hamon of Scripture — Splendid Ruins — Reflections. 

Beyrout. — Eine situation — Plantations, &c. Gebal. 

Hamath, &c. — The Orontes — Georgian Slaves. Homs. 

Arphad. Helbon (Aleppo). — Quantities of Game. An- 

tioch in Syria. — Historical Notices — Picturesque Scenery. 

Seleucia 1 



CHAPTER II. 



MESOPOTAMIA — ASSYRIA — BABYLONIA. 

Ur op the Chaedees. — Haran— Serug. The Tigris.— Jungle 

—Wild Animals— Eine Scenery near the " Pass of the Tigris." 



viii 



CONTENTS. 



Nineveh. — Utter ruin of Nineveh — Mounds of Koyunjuk and 
Nebbi Ynnns — Fuifilnient of Prophecy — Mounds of Yarumjah — 

Ruins of Isimrod. Kalah Sherkat. Al-Kosh. — Wild 

Scenery — Chaldean Convent. Al-Hadr. — Remarkable Ruins 

— Inscriptions. Calah. — Jewish Traditions — Interesting 

Antiquities. Plains of Shhae, or Babylonia. — Marshes of 

Lemlun. Babylon. — Ancient City — Present Appearance of 

Babylon — Ruins — The Palace — Mujelibe — Birs Nemroud — Tower 
of Babel, or Belus — Babylonian Antiquities — Hillah and the Eu- 
phrates — Ancient Ruins at Al-Hheimar. Dura. — Perhaps at 

Imam Dour. Erech. Accad. Calneh. — Ctesiphon 

and Seleucia. Kuth, or Ktttha. Bagdad 56 



CHAPTER III. 



PERSIA — MEDIA. 

Shushan the Palace. — Two cities named Susa, of which the most 
ancient is probably the Shushan of Scripture — Interesting- Remains 

at Susan— -Susa on the Choaspes, now called Sus. Persefolis. 

Achmetha. — Inscriptions at Hamadan — Takhti-Soleiman . 112 



CHAPTER IY. 



ARMENIA. 

Mount Ararat. — Journey towards Ararat — Passage of the River 
Araxes — Situation of Ararat — Greater and Lesser Ararat — Village 
of Arguri — Vineyards — Ascent of Ararat — Second Ascent — The 
Monasterv — Third and successful Ascent. The Top op Ara- 
rat.— Partial Eall of Ararat in 1810 123 



CHAPTER V. 



ASIA MINOR. 

IeoNiUM. Antioch in Pisidia. — Search for this City by Mr. 

Arundell — Ruins of the City — Ancient Church. Tarsus. — The 

River Cydnus— Cotton. — — Patara. Seven Churches of 

Asia. Ephesus. — Thoughts on visiting Ephesus — Village of 

Aiasaluck — Situation of Ephesus — Ruins — Mounts Prion and 
Corissus — Quarries — Ruined Church — Desolation of Ephesus — 



CONTENTS. 



IX 



Storks — The Theatre — Reflections. Smyrna. — Modern City — 

Priests of Smyrna — Church — Martyrdom of a Greek Christian.- 

Pergamos Ancient Library — Citadel — Antiquities — Popula- 
tion — Greek Miller — Greek Church and School. Thyatiea. — 

Approach to the City — Modern Thyatira — Pew ancient Remains 

— Pine Water — Scarlet Dye. Saudis. — Temple of Cybele — 

Notices of Sardis, Ancient and Modern — Acropolis — River Her- 
mus — Sad state of Religion among the Greek Christians. Phi- 
ladelphia. — Numerous Population — Their Ignorance and Dark- 
ness — The Turtle-dove — Bishop of Philadelphia — " City of God " 
— Antiquities — Testimony of an Infidel. Laodicea. — Desola- 
tion of Laodicea— Circus — Natural Curiosities — Village of Eski- 

hissar — Painful Reflections — Thoughts in a Storm. Hiera- 

polis. — Ruins — Hot Waters. Colosse Pine Situation- 
Castle Rock — Extensive Ruins. Troas Night Scene — Visit 

to the ancient City — Hot Spring — Wild Beasts. Assos . . . 146 



CHAPTER VI. 



MACEDONIA AND GREECE. 

Thessalonica. Athens —Short Notices of Ancient and Modern 

Athens — The Acropolis — Areopagus — Pine Sunset — Sunrise — 

Wells — Oil — Honey — Game — Pruit — Wild Beasts . Corinth 

and Cenchr^e a.— Situation of Corinth— Curious Cradles— Ancient 
Splendour and present Misery — Wild Animals — Cenchrsea — Acro- 
corinthus — Corinth Grape 225 



CHAPTER VII. 

ITALY. 



Rome. — The Pantheon — The Capitol— Colosseum — Arch of Titus — 

Palatine HiD — Appian Way — Catacombs — Nero's Circus. 

Puzzioli. — The Puteoli of St. Paul — Antiquities — Temple of 
Jupiter— Mole— Cement 240 



CHAPTER VIII. 



islands of the mediterranean. 



Sicily. — Syracuse, Messina, Catania, Etna, Palermo, Marsala. 

Melita (Malta) Valetta. Crete, or Candi a.— Natural Pro- 



X 



CONTENTS 



ductions of Crete — Hospitality— Cretan Cottage — Grottoes. 

Mitylexe— Chios— S amos — Trogylltum — Miletus Pat- 

mos. JSgean Sea. Coos — Rhodes — Cnldus. Cy- 
prus — Paphos— Salamis 260 



CHAPTER IX. 

EGYPT AND ETHIOPIA. 

Egypt. — Its past History and present State. Sihor— River 

Nile. — Scenery up the River. Alexandria. — Mareotic Lake 

— Church of Athanasius — Landing at Alexandria — The City — 
Pompey's Pillar — Cleopatra's Needles — Alexandrian Library — 

Date - Palms — Mosquitoes — Slave-market. Rosetta The 

Bazaar. Voyage by Canal to Cairo. Cairo. — Descriptions 

of the City — Boulac. Island oe Rhoda. Zoan, or Taxis. 

Land of Goshen, or Rabieses. On, Aven, or Bethshe- 

mesh. Noph, Moph, or Memphis. The Pyramids. 

Mummy Pits of Saccara. Lake MIeris. Ammon No, or 

No, (Thebes). Tombs oethe Kings. Syene. Island 

oe Phil^: Ethiopian Temples 291 



CHAPTER X. 

red sea, and wilderness of sinai. 

Red Sea.— Western Gulf— Suez— Passage of the Red Sea— Wells of 
Moses— Marah— Elim— Encampment of the Israelites by the Red 
Sea— Peiran, perhaps Paran— Mount Serbal— Plain of Er-Rahah— 

Mount Sinai. Haze roth. —Life in the Desert— Encampment in 

the Valley near Mount Hor. Eastern Gulf — Eziongaber— 

Elath Akaba— Island of Graia 355 



CHAPTER XI. 

EDOM, OR IDUMEA. 

Mount Hor.— Ascent of the Mountain— Desolate Prospect from the 

Summit— Tomb of Aaron. Edom (Arabia Petraea).— Historical 

Notices— Approach to Petra— Wady Mousa, or Valley of Moses— 
The Syk— General View of Petra— The Khasne— El Deir-The 
Theatre — Glen in Wady Mousa— Luxuriant Vegetation— Remark- 
able Colouring of the Rocks — Fulfilments of Prophecy. Maon. 

Bozrah of Edom The Arabs. The Rechabites . 386 



CONTENTS. 



xi 



CHAPTER XII. 



MOAB AND AMMON. 

PAGE 

Kir-Moab— (Kerek). An, or Moab— Rabbath-Moab. Mount 

Nebo — Wadt Wale — Plains oe Moab— River Arnon — Dibon 

— Aroer. Medeba. Heshbon— Elealeh — Baal-meon. 

Rabbah, or Rabbath-Ammon — Fulfilments of Prophecy. 

Brook Jabbok 437 

Conclusion 459 



APPENDIX. 

Nineveh. — Discovery of an Assyrian Edifice by M. Botta — Mounds 
of Nimroud — First Excavations and Discoveries — Plain of Nim- 
roud — Completion of Excavations — Kalah Sherghat — Remarks on 
the Assyrian Empire . . . . 461 



LIST OF VIGNETTES. 



PAGE 

View from Mount Lebanon 2 

View of Lebanon from Beyrout . 5 

View near the Cedars 10 

Cedars of Lebanon 13 

Lebanon. — Terrace Cultivation . 15 

Damascus 1 8 

Eastern Gate of Damascus 24 

Mosque in Damascus 26 

River Barada 29 

Tadmor in the Desert 36 

Baalbec, probably the Baal-Gad 

and Baal-Hamon of Scripture. 38 

Gate at Baalbec 40 

Horns 47 

Antioch in Syria 51 

Nineveh 61 

Babel, or Babylon 81 

The Kasr, or Palace 89 

The Athele 90 

Statue of Lion 91 

The Mujelibe 93 

Birs Nimrod — Tower of Babel or 

Belus 95 

Vitrified Brickwork 97 

Ancient Ruin, called Akerkouf, 

perhaps Accad 105 

Tauk Kesra 106 

Wall at Seleucia 109 

Mount Ararat 124 

Ascent of Ararat 130 

Antioch in Pisidia 148 

Ephesus 157 

Ruins at Ephesus 163 

Remains of Theatre at Ephesus . 168 

Smyrna 171 

Pergamos 179 

Thyatira 184 

Ditto 188 

Sardis 189 

Philadelphia 198 

Laodicea 204 

Colosse 215 

Assos . 224 

Athens 227 

Areopagus at Athens 231 

Corinth and Cenchraea 235 

Rome 241 

Mamertine Prison 243 

Catacombs at Rome 249 

Painting on Catacombs 252 

Puteoli 254 

Syracuse 261 

Gulf ofKhania 270 

Glen in Crete 272 

Peasant's Cottage 275 



PAGE 

Grotto 276 

Mitylene 277 

Miletus 280 

Patmos 282 

Rhodes 284 

Cyprus 287 

River Nile, usual appearance ... 292 

Nile overflowing its banks 301 

Pompey's Pillar 308 

Street in Cairo 316 

Ruins of Zoan 319 

The Pyramids 330 

Temple of Karnac 336 

Temple and Broken Statue of 

Memnon 341 

Sarcophagi 344 

Temple of Isis 348 

Island of Philae 350 

Temples of Isamboul 351 

Interior of Temple of Isamboul 353 

The Red Sea at Suez 356 

Suez 358 

Springs of Moses 361 

WadiWaseit 365 

Entrance to Wadi Feiran 368 

Jebel Serbel 370 

Wilderness of Mount Sinai 371 

Mount Sinai, from Er Rahah ... 373 

Stone of Moses 374 

Summit of Sinai 375 

Inscriptions on Rocks 377 

Wild Palm 379 

Akaba 380 

Graia 385 

Range of Mount Hor =» 387 

Mount Hor 391 

Triumphal Arch at Petra 394 

Interior of Khasne 403 

Approach to Petra 406 

Petra from the Theatre 407 

View of Khasne, from the Chasm 409 

View of Khasne 410 

Interior of a Tomb 414 

Tombs at Petra 417 

The Arabs 422 

Poor Bedouin Arab 425 

Arabian Gentlemen 428 

Arab Encampment 429 

Bedouin Sheikh 431 

Tents 432 

Tower and Ruins in the Land of 

Moab 438 

Arab on Horseback 440 

Brook Jabbok 458 

Nineveh 461 



CHAPTER I. 



Lebanon. — References to Lebanon in Scripture — View of Lebanon from 
Beyrout — Clear atmosphere of Lebanon — Ascent of Lebanon — Valley of 
Bekaa — Night on Mount Lebanon — The Cedars — Tripoli — Village of 
Eden — Terrace cultivation — Villages, fountains, &c. 

Damascus. — Barren district — Sudden view of Damascus — Beautiful 
suburbs — The town itself — Fine fruit — Descriptions of Damascus— 
Abana and Pharpar. 

The Hauran Boszra of Hauran — Ashtaroth — Edrei — Kenath, or Nobah. 

Tadmob in the Desert. 

Baaxbec, probably the Baal-Gad and Baal-Hamon of Scripture — Splendid 

ruins — "Reflections. 
Beyeout. — Eine situation — Plantations, &c. 
Gebal. 

Hamath, &c. — The Orontes — Georgian slaves. 

Homs. 

Abphad. 

Helbon (Aleppo) . — Quantities of game. 

Anttoch in Stbia Historical notices — Picturesque scenery. 

Seleucia. 




's.-V 



VIEW FROM MOUNT LEBANON, 



S T E I A. 



LEBANON. 

FREOJJENT REFERENCES TO THIS MOUNTAIN IN SCRIPTURE— VIEW OE 

LEBANON FROM BEYROUT — CLEARNESS OF THE ATMOSPHERE 

ASCENT OE LEBANON VALLEY OE BEKAA— NIGHT ON MOUNT 

LEBANON THE CEDARS— TERRACE CULTIVATION — TILLAGES, FOUN- 
TAINS, ETC. 

SCRIPTURAL NOTICES. 

" I prat thee, let me go over, and see the good land 
that is beyond Jordan, that goodly mountain, and 
Lebanon." — Dent. iii. 25. 

"... The valley of Lebanon." — Joshua xi. 17. 

" Command thou that they hew me cedar-trees out of 



LEBANON". 



3 



Lebanon " — (for the building of the temple).— 1 Kings 
v. 6. See whole chapter, and Ezra iii. 7. 

" Thou hast reproached the Lord, and hast said, With 
the multitude of my chariots I am come up to the height 
of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon, and will cut 
down the tall cedar- trees thereof, and the choice fir-trees 
thereof."— 2 Kings xix. 23. 

"Streams from Lebanon." — Canticles iv."15. 

"His countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the 
cedars." — Canticles v. 15. 

" The day of the Lord of Hosts shall be . . . upon all 
the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up." — 
Isa. ii. 12, 13. 

" The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir- 
tree, the pine-tree, and the box together, to beautify the 
place of my sanctuary ; and I will make the place of my 
feet glorious." — Isa. Ix. 13. 

"The snow of Lebanon." — Jer. xviii. 14. 

" Thus saith the Lord unto the king's house of Judah ; 
Thou art Gilead unto me, and the head of Lebanon : 
yet surely I will make thee a wilderness. ... Go up to 
Lebanon, and cry." — Jer. xxii. 6, 20. 

" He shall .... cast forth his roots as Lebanon. . . . 
his smell (shall be) as Lebanon .... the scent thereof 
shall be as the wine of Lebanon." — Hosea xiv. 5, 6, 7. 

" The flower of Lebanon languisheth." — Nahum i. 4. 
[Isa. x. 34 ; xxxiii. 9 ; xxxv. 2.] 



The name Lebanon signifies White Mountain, in 
Hebrew. " The whole mass of the mountain consists 
of whitish limestone ; or at least, the rocky surface, as 
it reflects the light, exhibits every where a whitish 
aspect. The mountain teems with villages. When one 
looks upwards from below, the vegetation on the terraces 
is not visible ; so that the whole mountain side appears 
as if composed only of immense rugged masses of naked 
whitish rock, severed by deep wild ravines running down 



± 



LEBANON. 



precipitously to the plain. No one would suspect, 
among these rocks, the existence of a vast multitude 
of thrifty villages, and a numerous population of moun- 
taineers, hardy, industrious, and brave. There are 
great numbers of convents on Mount Lebanon." — See 
Eobixsox's Researches. 



KEEEREXCES TO LEBANON IN SCRIPTURE. 

"The first mention of Lebanon is in the prayer of 
Moses, when he besought the Lord that he might see 
'that goodly mountain, and Lebanon.' It was then 
inhabited by the Hivites. There is frequent reference to 
the fountains, wells, and streams of Lebanon, as well as 
to its vines, flowers, roots, fir-trees, box-trees, and cedars ; 
and in one description of the latter-day glory, it is said, 
that c the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon.' The 
allusions of the prophets appear very striking to those 
acquainted with the circumstances of the place. We 
learn from Hosea, that Israel shall one day be as e the 
vine of Lebanon ; ' and its wine is still the most esteemed 
of any in the Levant. What could better display the 
folly of the man who had forsaken his God, than the 
reference of Jeremiah to the ( cold flowing waters ' from 
the ices of Lebanon — the bare mention of which must 
have brought the most delightful associations to the 
inhabitants of the parched plain ? The Psalmist de- 
clares, that 6 the voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars ; 
yea, the Lord breaketh the cedars of Lebanon ; ' and a 
more sublime spectacle can scarcely be conceived than 
the thunder rolling among these enormous masses, and 
the lightning playing among the lofty cedars, withering 
their foliage, crashing the branches that had stood the 
storms of centuries, and with the utmost ease hurling the 
roots and trunks into the distant vale. But by Isaiah 
the mountain is compared to one vast altar, and its 
countless trees are the pile of wood, and the cattle upon 
its thousand hills the sacrifice ; yet, if a volcanic erup- 



LEBANON. 



5 



iion were to burst forth from one of its summits, and in 
torrents of liquid fire to enkindle the whole at once, 
even this mighty (offering) would be insufficient to 
expiate one single crime : and the sinner is told that 
( Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof 
for a burnt-offering/ The trees of Lebanon are now 
comparatively few, and with them are gone the eagles 
and wild beasts to which they afforded shelter ; and it is 
of its former state, and not of its present degradation, 
that we are to think, in reading the glowing descriptions 
of the prophets. e The glory of Lebanon shall come 
unto thee, the fir-tree, the pine-tree, and the box together, 
to beautify the place of my sanctuary ; and I will make 
the place of my feet glorious,' " — Hakdy's Notices of the 
Holy Land, pp. 271—273. 




VIEW OP LEBANON EROM BEYROUT. 
" His countenance is as Lebanon." 

Such is the figure used by Solomon to indicate the 
dignity, beauty, and majesty of the great Head of the 



6 



LEBANON. 



Church. They who have gazed upon Lebanon from the 
heights about Beyrout must have felt how noble an 
image it is. Lebanon is a little world in itself. It is 
still abundantly populated, notwithstanding the ravages 
of war ; and its fertility is very great, by means of the 
terraced manner of cultivation, which has so generally 
prevailed in the East. From Beyrout the eye traces 
numberless villages, scattered about, even on the higher 
ridges, amidst forests of pine and majestic oaks. The 
loftiest peak of Lebanon is called Sannin, and is com- 
puted at 10,000 feet above the sea level. There is an 
indescribable air of grandeur and repose pervading this 
grand mass of mountain. But what must Lebanon have 
been, when the prophet Isaiah referred to it as an image 
to illustrate his announcement of gospel blessing and 
gospel glory — ' The glory of Lebanon shall be given 
unto it? "' 

" Frequently during our stay at Beyrout, we visited 
the residences of the American missionaries, delightfully 
situated on the high ground to the south of the town, 
and about half a mile distant, in the midst of mulberry 
gardens. From the roof and windows of Mr. Thomp- 
son's house we enjoyed a splendid prospect. The coast 
of Syria, indented with numerous bays, stretched far to 
the north. But we were chiefly occupied with the view 
of majestic Lebanon. It is a noble range of mountains. 
It is cultivated in a wonderful manner by the help of 
terraces, and is still very fertile. We saw on some of its 
eminences, more than 2,000 feet high, villages and 
luxuriant vegetation ; and on some of its peaks, 6,000 
feet high, we could discern tall pines against the clear 
sky beyond. At first the clouds were resting on the 
lofty summit of the range, but they cleared away, and 
we saw Sannin. which is generally regarded as the 
highest peak of Lebanon. There is a deep ravine that 
seems to run up the whole way, and Sannin rises at its 
highest extremity, to the height of 10,000 feet. The 
rays of the setting sun gave a splendid tint to the lofty 



I 

I 



LEBANON. 



7 



brow of the mountain, and we did not wonder how the 
Church of old saw in its features of calm and immov- 
able majesty, an emblem of the great Redeemer — 'His 
countenance is as Lebanon !' The snow was gleaming in 
many of its highest crevices, reminding us of the pro- 
phet's question, 6 Will a mamleave the snow of Lebanon V 
In coming through the bazaar we had seen large masses 
of it exposed for sale. The merchants slice it off the 
lump, and sell it to customers for cooling wine and other 
liquors, and it is often mixed with a sweet syrup and 
drunk in passing, as a refreshing beverage. Not far 
from Sannin the ancient cedars are found — a memorial 
of the glory of Lebanon. Cedars of smaller size are 
found also in other parts of the mountain. There are 
nearly 200,000 inhabitants in the villages of Lebanon, 
a population exceeding that of all the rest of Palestine. 
This may give us an idea of the former glory of Lebanon, 
and may explain the ardent wish of Moses, c I pray thee 
let me go over and see the good land that is beyond 
Jordan, that goodly mountain, and Lebanon !' Not 
many miles east of Beyrout, over the ridge of Lebanon, 
lies the beautiful vale of Coele- Syria (hollow Syria), 
between Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon. It is said to be 
most fertile, and abounds in plentiful springs of water. 
—Mission to the Jews, pp. 240, 241. 



CLEAR ATMOSPHERE OE LEBANON. 

" The clearness of the air is a most striking character- 
istic of these regions. It is seen in looking at the 
starry heavens. The stars are numerous, and the face 
of the heavens has a clearness in it that makes the 
impression on the mind, that we can see further into 
the deep and pathless abyss by which our little earth 
is surrounded, than we can in other countries. It agrees 
in this with the Italian sky, but is, I think, still 
more clear. This clearness of the air is also manifest in 



8 



LEBANON. 



looking at distant objects. They appear much nearer 
than they really are." — Paxton's Letters, p. 31. 



ASCENT OE LEBANON.— YAXLEY OE BEELAA. 

" We began the ascent of Lebanon, and having reached 
an elevation sufficient to command a view of Beyrout and 
the surrounding country, the picture was charming in 
the extreme. Palm groves, mulberry forests, vineyards, 
convents, and cottage habitations, combined to produce 
such an effect as cannot easily be forgotten ; and the 
blue waters of the Mediterranean sparkled in the dis- 
tance. The passes of Lebanon at length became very 
fatiguing and difficult. We were on the high road, the 
ancient one, to Damascus. At noon we rested in a mul- 
berry-grove, in front of a miserable khan, about which 
were gathered many of the shepherds with their flocks. 

We continued till eleven o'clock at night, 

pausing only for a short time to re-adjust our baggage. 
Some parts of our route were really formidable, the more 
so as the twilight gathered round us. The declivities 
down which we passed were sometimes so fearfully steep 
and precipitous, the ascents so abrupt, and frequently so 
like the sloping roof of a slated house, that, as I sat on 
my horse, I positively wondered how I was borne along 
so safely. We made no false steps. In one place, how- 
ever, I was glad to dismount, and trust to my own hands 
and knees, while my horse gaily followed at his ease. 
We were excessively weary at the end of this day's 
journey ; but happily had mastered the main difficulties 
of the way, and pitched the tents for the night in a 
field on the eastern brow of Lebanon, from whence, next 
morning, we could look down into the vale of Bekaa, a 
broad expanse, as far as the eye could reach north and 
south, and many miles in breadth, dotted over with 
villages, and skirted on the east by Anti-Libanus, show- 
ing in a south-easterly direction Mount Hermon, with 
its snowy peaks. This plain is the Ccele-Syria of anti- 



LEBANON. 



9 



quity. During our afternoon ride, about an hour before 
sunset, we saw congregated in a deep valley, large masses 
of clouds, connected with others, resting on the surround- 
ing summits. The low beams of the sun illuminated 
them in a very remarkable manner. There were no 
clouds upon the face of the sky. While the sun was 
setting, they extended themselves on all sides, and ad- 
vanced rapidly upon us, till we were completely en- 
veloped. When the sun gave forth his last gorgeous rays, 
the clouds seemed to march away from side to side, taking 
up their positions as for the night, with the sun-glow 
resting upon their sides and summits. There they stood 
like Alpine heights, and, to all appearance, as firm ; a 
new mountain-region towering above the mightiness of 
Lebanon. In about an hour after sunset the darkness 
was dense indeed ; but as we passed on, with a bold peak 
of Lebanon before us — a dark, black mass — suddenly 
the moon rose up from behind, and stood like a brilliant 
beacon-light to guide us. In this way we reached the 
place of encampment, on the eastern side of Lebanon. 
Hassenein professed that he saw a wolf steal along before 
him, as he was a little in advance ; but before he could 
fire, the creature scampered down a valley. 

" We slept soundly on Lebanon ; and when we arose 
with the early morning the scene before us was very 
charming. The place of encampment was on a high 
elevation ; and there, in front, stood the range of Anti- 
Libanus, rose-tinted. The snows of Hermon sparkled 
in the sun light. At about six o'clock we began to 
descend toward the Vale of Bekaa. We met several 
parties of Arabs and Syrians, with their laden asses 
bearing various merchandise from Damascus ; for here- 
abouts the road thither bends off to the right, and runs 
over Anti-Libanus, while the way towards Baalbec is to 
the left. We continued along the plain northward, with 
the magnificent heights of Lebanon westward. There 
lay the snow-wreaths around its towering summit, from 
whence is procured that perpetual abundance of ice 



10 



LEE AX OX. 



which enables the poorest man in Beyrout to cool his 
frequent draught of water or sherbet, and the richest 
his wine-cup. The plain or valley of Bekaa is but 
little cultivated, except in small patches around the 
many villages. It abounds in springs and fountains of 
delicious water ; and though yielding only thistles and 
other such like wild produce, on which the sheep, camels, 
and neat cattle browse, attended by parties of Bedaween, 
yet, like the rich plain of Esdraelon, it is a soil which 
would respond to every effort of agriculture in an 
astonishing manner." — Fisk's Pastor's Memorial. 




VIE"W NEAR THE CEDARS. 



NIGHT ON MOUNT LEBANON. 

THE CEDARS — TRIPOLI — VILLAGE OE EDEN. 

" Quitting Baalbec, we proceeded directly across the 
plain of Bekaa, in a north-westerly direction, for the 
purpose of visiting the far-famed cedars of Lebanon. 



LEBANON. 



11 



In various parts of the plain we saw large herds of 
camels and flocks of goats grazing, attended by parties 
of Bedaween, armed and watchful. And though travel- 
lers have often been obliged to repel the attacks of the 
wild tribes who inhabit the region of the Lebanon, we 
experienced no inconvenience whatever, and were many 
times saluted with ' Peace be with you,' or, ' You are 
welcome / the ancient and accustomed salutations of 
these people. 

" At a pleasant village at the foot of Lebanon we laid 
in a store of provender for our horses, and a supply of 
coarse bread for ourselves. There is an extensive 
cultivation of tobacco, here and about other villages of 
the Lebanon. The villagers were stripping its broad, 
long leaves from the stalks, and hanging them, strung 
upon thread, in the sun to dry. Having supplied as 
many wants as this poor village admitted of, we began 
the ascent of Lebanon ; and after continuing our ride 
for about three hours more through a charming winding 
road, overhung by fine woods of prickly oak and other 
forest-trees, made vocal by the songs of joyous birds, we 
reached a second village, the greater part of which, like 
many others in Lebanon, was in ruins. . . . This was the 
highest part of the lower ridges of the mountain, from 
which the steep and difficult ascent begins. The dark- 
ness overtook us before we reached it ; when, right and 
left, before and behind, fires were quickly lighted up on 
the heights and in the valleys by the wandering dwellers 
in this vast mountain territory, whose home is frequently 
beneath the spreading oak, or the remains of a ruined 
wall, — -a new home, it may be, for every succeeding night. 
As we passed on amidst the forests, great numbers of 
fire-flies glanced with their brilliant glitter across our 
path, with fantastic elegance and beauty, winging their 
way sometimes to a distance before us, and then suddenly 
disappearing. The fire-fly is one of the most graceful 
things in nature. We were not long in darkness, before 
the moon relieved us, and made our route distinctly 



12 



LEBAXOX. 



visible, showing the heights of Lebanon above us with 
peculiar beauty. The evening air was deliriously, per- 
fumed with flowers. We descended into a lovely valley 
at the foot of the upper ridge of Lebanon, into which 
rushes a bold stream or cascade formed by the dissolving 
snows of the mountain. Here we determined to rest for 
the night. So cold was the water which flowed through 
the valley, that I was obliged twice to put the cup from 
my lips before I could take such a draught as a traveller 
, in Syria frequently requires. I have often recalled the 
wondrous beauty of the scene where we passed that 
night on Mount Lebanon. The moonlight was so 
brilliant, and its effect so surprising upon the bold rock 

and forest scenery 

" On the following morning we set out by half- 
past five, to make the ascent of the upper ridge of 
Lebanon. The lower part of the ridge over which 
we passed for the first three quarters of an hour, was 
thickly overgrown with evergreen oaks, <kc. ; but after 
that the trees were but scanty, and soon consisted of a 
few poor stunted junipers and yews. There were many 
wild flowers perfuming the air, and supplying the bees 
of Lebanon with materials for their delicious honey. 
After about an hour we had a charming view of a 
mountain lake formed by the continually-melting snows. 
The route now became steep and wearisome, but our 
horses performed surprisingly ; and in about another 
hour we reached a small valley running round the base 
of the extreme mountain ridge, where lay a large breast- 
work of deep and firmly-frozen snow, glittering in the 
morning sun ; the atmosphere was elastic and bracing ; 
it seemed as if the air ministered present strength and 
nourishment. We refreshed ourselves with handfuls of 
ice, and gave some to our horses. Another quarter of an 
hour brought us to the summit of Lebanon .... 

" That clump, those trees, are the cedars of Lebanon. 
The approach to them from rock to rock is very rugged 
and fatiguing. On nearing them, the clump assumes the 



LEBANON. 



13 



stateliness of a forest. The seven which are clustered 
together go up like gigantic pillars, and their interlaced 
arms above, each in itself a vast tree, form a verdant 
dome through which the vertical sun penetrates not. 

" I have seen noble cedars in Europe, the growth of 
centuries ; but, compared with those of Lebanon, they 
are but saplings." — See Eisk's Pastor's Memorial. 




Messrs. Irby and Mangles visited the cedars from 
Tripoli, " the neatest town we had seen in Syria, the 
houses being all well built of stone, and neatly con- 
structed within. It is seated at the foot of the 
mountains, at some distance from the sea-shore, and is 
surrounded by luxuriant gardens, producing innumer- 
able oranges and lemons. The town is commanded by 
two old castles, on the heights at the back of it, built 
in the time of the Crusades. The port is near an 
hour's distance. It is said that there were here three 



14 



LEBANON, 



cities : one subject to Aradus, a second to Tyre, and the 
third to Sidon, whence the name Tripoli. The ascent 
of the mountain from Tripoli is gradual : and after a 
while the road is good, through cultivated plains and 
groves of olives, passing occasionally beautiful valleys 
watered by branches of a river. Afterwards the road 
becomes very rugged, the whole way to the village of 
Eden passing between two conspicuous points of the 
mountain. Eden is delightfully situated by the side of 
a most rich and highly cultivated valley .... The cedars 
are not more than five miles distant from it : and this 
village of Eden, which from its delightful situation is a 
sort of Paradise upon Lebanon, may be the { Eden/ and 
the ' Garden of God.' alluded to by Ezekiel. It con- 
tains about four or five hundred families, who. on the 
approach of winter, descend to another village only an 
hour s distance from Tripoli. The families were in the 
act of removing to their winter habitations when we 
arrived." 

TERRACE CULTIVATION. 

VILLAGES, rOV^TALXS, ETC. 

a The mountain is cultivated, more or less, almost to 
the very top. The tillage is carried on chiefly by means 
of terraces, built up with great labour, and covered 
above with soil."— Robinson, 

- \Ye arrived at Jezzin, a considerable village, where 
the peculiar terrace cultivation of Lebanon, of the 
mulberry and vine, as well as of grain, advantageously 
appears : close to the village there is a small stream, 
running west. Erom Jezzin to Deir el Kamar, we found 
the journey, owing to the roughness of the road, and its 
windings and turnings, and ascents, and declivities, 
verv fatiguing : it was withal, however, very delightful. 
At its close Mr. Smith made this emphatic record of 
what he had witnessed and felt. : This has been a day 
of days, and I know not whether I have been better 



LEBANON. 



15 



pleased with the country, or with its inhabitants. We 
passed a continued series of villages embosomed in the 
hills, which presented the finest cultivation to the very- 
top, enriching the land with wine, silk, and olives. 
The climate is lovely ; I have never been more gratified 
than to-day.' 




LEBANON. — TERRACE CULTIVATION. 



« We got to Deir el Kamar, the capital of Lebanon, 
at dusk. After breakfast, (next morning,) we set off 
for Beyrout, which is distant from Deir el Kamar about 
twenty-five miles. The road over the mountain is merely 
a bridle path, generally a yard or a couple of yards in 
breadth, and it is exceedingly rough and broken. In 
the more difficult parts, the ascent and descent is by 
flights of steps, which are far from being kept in the 
best order. It is no part of the policy of the natives of 
Lebanon to facilitate travel from one terrace to another, 
and from one story to another, as the whole of Lebanon 



16 



DAMASCUS. 



may be correctly denominated. The difficulties of 
scaling that citadel, they are well aware, constitute its 
greatest security. In a couple of hours from our leaving 
Deir el Kaniar, we crossed a stream which flows through 
a mountain gorge, and enters the Mediterranean about 
half-way between Beyrout and Sidon. 

" A great many Tillages occur between this river and 
Beyrout, and in connexion with them there are many 
' fountains of gardens, wells of living waters, and streams 
from Lebanon,' of crystal purity and the most agreeable 
coolness, which refresh the weary traveller, and vivify 
and beautify the whole country. The husbandry of 
Lebanon, to which they give effect, is that of the 
mulberry, the vine, and the olive, more than of wheat, 
and barley, and other grains. . . . We were greatly 
delighted to come upon groves of fir, after fifteen years' 
deprivation of the sight of this tree, so familiar in the 
land of our nativity. 1 We had our first view of the 
Mediterranean about fifteen miles from Beyrout. Its 
bright and glassy surface, under an unclouded atmo- 
sphere, was so like the azure sky above, that we could 
not define the line of our horizon." — Wilson's Lands 
of the Bible. 



DAMASCUS. 

BARREN DISTRICT— SUDDEN YXE"W 01 DAMASCUS — BEAUTLFUL SUBURBS 
—THE TOTVN' ITSEXF — FINE FRUIT— VARIOUS DESCRIPTIONS OP DA- 
MASCUS — ABANA AND PHARPAE. 

SCRIPTURE NOTICES. 

" The steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damas- 
cus." — Genesis xv. 2. 

" And Elisha came to Damascus; and Benhadad the 
king of Syria was sick . . . and the king said unto 
Hazael, Take a present in thine hand, and go, meet the 



1 Scotland. 



DAMASCUS. 



17 



man of God, and inquire . . . Shall I recover of this 
disease ? So Hazael went to meet him, and took a 
present with him, even of every good thing of Damascus, 
forty camels' burden. . . . And Elisha answered" (Hazael), 
a The Lord hath shewed me that thou shalt be king over 
Syria." — 2 Kings viii. 7 — 13. (1 Kings xix. 15.) 

" The king of Assyria went up against Damascus, and 
took it, and carried the people of it captive to Kir, and 
slew Eezin." (foretold Amos i. 5.) " And king Ahaz 
went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assy- 
ria, and saw an altar that was at Damascus : and king 
Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the fashion of the altar, 
and the pattern of it . . . and Urijah . . . built an altar 
according to all that king Ahaz had sent from Damas- 
cus ; so Urijah the priest made it against king Ahaz 
came from Damascus" — read to verse 16. — 2 Kings xvi. 
9—11. (2 Ghron. xxviii. 5, 23.) 

" The head of Syria is Damascus." — Isa. vii. 8. 

" Damascus is waxed feeble ... I will kindle a fire in 
the wall of Damascus, and it shall consume the palaces 
of Benhadad."— Jer. xlix. 24—27. 

"Damascus was thy merchant." — Ezeh xxvii. 18. 

" And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus, and 
suddenly there shined round about him a light from 
heaven ; and he fell to the earth : . . but they led him 
by the hand, and brought him into Damascus . . . And 
there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias, 
and to him said the Lord in a vision .... Go into the 
street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house 
of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus." — Acts ix. 
3, 4, 8, 10, 11. Read the whole chapter. 

" In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king, 
kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desir- 
ous to apprehend me ; and through a window in a 
basket was I let down by the wall, and escaped his 
hands."— 2 Cor. xi. 32, 33. 



18 DAMASCUS. 




DAMASCUS. 



"No city in the East has maintained its ground as 
Damascus has done, from generation to generation, from 
age to age. 

"The city is one of the most ancient in the world. 
The Syrians, of whom it was the capital, being not the 
least powerful enemies of the Israelites, are frequently 
mentioned in Scripture* David resisting them, on 
account of their succouring Hadadezer of Zobah, with 
whom he was at war, after a great slaughter, subdued 
them and made them tributaries. 1 They soon, how- 
ever, regained their iD dependence, and were more fre- 
quently the enemies than the allies of the Israelites. 

"Damascus was taken by Tiglath Pileser, monarch of. 
Assyria, and its inhabitants carried away captive and 
added to his kingdom, in the reign of Ahaz. It was 
then that, probably for a season, it was taken away 
from being a city, and became 'a ruinous heap.' In the 



1 2 Sam.viii. 5. — 7. 



DAMASCUS. 



19 



course of events it revived, and became subject succes- 
sively to the four great empires of prophecy, the Baby- 
lonian, Persian, Grecian, and Roman. It was under the 
last of these governments that it became the scene of 
the conversion, and first labours, and trials of the 
Apostle Paul. It was long the glory in the East of the 
rulers of Byzantium. (The Arabian tribes took it by 
storm and capitulation, by the command of ilbubekr, 
the successor of Muhammad.) For about a hundred 
and thirty years this city was the capital of the Saracenic 
world, till about the middle of the eighth century, when 
the khalifat was removed to Bagdad. Under the sway 
of the khalifs at Bagdad, it occupied the second place 
in their kingdom. (Afterwards) it became subject to 
the Fatemites of Egypt. In the 12th century it was 
taken by the Turks. (Timour the Tartar entered it 
and reduced it to ashes in 1401.) (It speedily revived 
under the Turks, from whom it was taken for Muhammad 
Ali of Egypt in 1832, and remained under his govern- 
ment till 1841." — See Dr. Wilson's Lands of the Bible. 

" Beyroot, August 26th, 1836. — I have just returned 
from a tour to Damascus ... As we set out for (it) 
from Bru-ma-nah, on the mountain, we did not follow 
the usual road from Beyroot, but took a more direct 
route . . . When near the top of the last high range of 
hills, near Damascus, we had, on looking back, the most 
striking view of a naked and barren district that I 
ever saw ... A range of fifteen or twenty miles in 
diameter, perhaps much more . . . and, except the little 
green strip that at some points could be seen along the 
river Barada, there appeared to be neither tree, nor 
bush, nor any green thing. I called Mr. B 's atten- 
tion to it, and asked him if he could point out, with 
the exception just made, ooe green thing — tree or bush. 
He could not. As the river runs in a deep channel, and 
the trees along it are small, it was only at a few places 
that their tops could be seen. A more dry, parched^ 
desolate landscape I never saw. 



20 



DAMASCUS. 



" Our approach to Damascus was from the north-west. 
The general course of the plain on which it stands is 
north-west and south-west. The northern part, near 
Damascus, is bounded by a high, steep, and precipitous 
mountain ; the suburbs and gardens of the city extend- 
ing close to its foot. It was not until we had reached 
the top of this range of mountains, from which the 
whole region we had passed over for the last five or six 
hours rose to view, that we saw on the other side, along 
the middle of a most noble plain, a wide district covered 
with verdure, fields, gardens, and a forest of trees, 
extending eastward as far as the eye could reach. In 
the midst of this, encircled with gardens for miles 
around, rose the old, famous city of Damascus, with its 
many gilded domes glittering in the sun. The sight 
was most delightful and refreshing ; and the more so 
from the absolute barrenness and desolation by which it 
was surrounded. 

" Damascus is a walled town ; but on some sides the 
town has spread far beyond the walls, and formed 
extensive suburbs. The walls have once been of great 
strength, and were defended in many parts, if not 
entirely around, by a deep foss and rows of towers. 
They are now much out of repair. The gates are falling 
to pieces, or approaching that state. The foss is much 
filled up at many places, and the towers have lost their 
beauty and strength, and possibly in great part their 
use. Sic transit gloria mundi" — Paxton. 

" Many of the lower portions of the walls of Damascus 
are considered to be of great antiquity, and their con- 
struction is certainly peculiar. Some of the blocks of 
stone are perfectly square, others are built in so that 
their height is greater than their breadth. These old 
stones are pointed out by the inhabitants as remnants 
of the walls of the city which existed in the patriarchal 
age." — Addison's Damascus and Palmyra. 

"It is interesting to observe houses built on parts 
of the walls at the present day, as was probably the 



DAMASCUS. 



21 



case when the disciples took Paul by night and let 
him down by the wall in a basket." — Lands of the 
Bible. 

" The streets are narrow, crooked, and miserably dirty. 
But little effort is made to remove filth and produce 
cleanliness. In truth, throughout this whole Eastern 
world, the people appear to have very low ideas of neat- 
ness and cleanliness. While the city abounds with 
water, and a fountain of it is seen in most of the good 
houses, you meet with filth everywhere, and are often 
most grievously annoyed with the stench of dead animals 
in the roads and streets. Some of the streets are paved 
but in a very indifferent way ; and, from the great accu- 
mulation of dust, they are not in a comfortable condi- 
tion for passing over. Some allowances, however, must 
be made for this abundance of dust in streets, roads, and 
open places, and even in the houses. It is now nearly 
three months since I reached Beyroot, and not one drop 
of rain has fallen ; the sun has not, with the exception 
of a few hours, been so covered with clouds as to be hid 
from sight ; most of the days it has, without ceasing, 
poured its burning rays upon the earth. What marvel 
if the earth be roasted, and, except where water abounds, 
be converted into dust ? . . . Most of the houses, when 
seen from the street, have an old and very shabby 
appearance. Many of them are made up of patchwork 
—mud, wood and stone : the mud, however, as the 
cheapest article, is most abundant. Occasionally you 
may see the lower part of the building of good hewn 
marble, which soon gives place to a miserable patch- 
work kind of half stucco and half mortar. The door 
frames are very often formed of hewn stone, and some- 
times arched, and this may be the only stone that you 
see in the building. 

" There are, just outside the walls of Damascus, some 
mills, that looked better than any of the buildings of 
the sort I have seen in the East. They stand on the 
main channel of the river, and avail themselves of its 



22 



DAMASCUS. 



waters to work their machinery. The bread of Damascus 
is, for the East, good. 

" One of our longest walks was in the after part of the 
day, along the river, and among the gardens and shady 
trees which line its borders : I could not but notice how 
the people were walking, sitting, or lying along the side 
of the stream, and how they appeared to enjoy its re- 
freshing coolness. They were e beside the still waters.' 
Near the eastern side of the city I was much interested 
in meeting with a field of hemp. It was just beginning 
to blossom. It was the first, and I may add, the only 
field of hemp I have seen in the East. 

" Most of the houses have balconies, or places project- 
ing out on the front, having windows at the three sides. 
They serve the double purpose of giving access to the 
air, and enabling the people to see what is going on 
in the streets. These are more or less common as fix- 
tures in houses, all through this Eastern world. The 
greater part of them have also courts that are open to the 
heavens ; these, in several of the best houses that I have 
visited, were paved with marble, and had noble fountains 
of water in the centre. Some have more than one 
fountain ; and the house in which I lodged had one 
perpetually flowing in the room in which I slept. There 
is water enough to keep their houses and persons clean, 
would the people but use it. 

" Noticing that the roofs and upper parts of many 
houses were greatly injured, and sadly in need of repairs, 
I inquired, and learned that last winter was one of very 
great severity at Damascus, that an unusual quantity of 
snow fell, and by its weight did great injury to the 
houses. Their mode of building is not adapted for 
durability. Their mud walls do not well stand the 
rainy season, however they may abide the dry. The 
wood they use for joists, and for supporting their flat 
mud roofs, is in great part the Lombardy poplar and 
willow, which is their most abundant growth, except, 
perhaps, the mulberry. This wood they put in, full of 



DAMASCUS. 



28 



sap, bark and all, and of course in a few years it must 
rot, and fall out of its place. Where it is entirely de- 
fended from the air and moisture, it may last for some 
time ; but when, as in most cases, it is almost entirely 
exposed to both, no marvel if the house needs repairing 
nearly every year; and this, I am told, is not uncommon." 
— Paxton. 

" The houses of Damascus, generally speaking, are 
nothing else externally but cottages of clay, through 
which the thieves may dig in the dark. The aspect of 
their interior differs in toto from that of the exterior. 
Many of them may be considered as so many miniature 
oriental palaces. They are of a quadrangular form, en- 
closing a court paved with marble, ornamented with 
beautiful trees and flowering bushes, and having copious 
fountains playing in the centre. The lower rooms on 
each side of the court are raised above its area, open in 
front, covered with carpets, and seated with divans in 
the Eastern fashion. Their roofs are highly ornamented 
with figures of flowers and inscriptions, and a variety 
of arabesque devices." — Lands of the Bible. 

u Damascus has long been considered by the Mahom- 
medans as one of their sacred cities ; and it is not many 
years since when their bigotry was so great that 
Christians had to use much caution to avoid its out- 
breakings. There is a great change in this respect. 
Christians may now go about with little danger. We 
rode repeatedly through the crowded bazaars, and no 
one appeared to take the least offence ; and generally 
gave their salaam with indications of kindness. Still, it 
will sometimes shew itself. It is not long since that 
Mr. Caiman, a Jewish missionary, when engaged in 
selling the Scriptures, was taken up by the Mahom- 
medans, and for a time feared that he might be put to 
trouble, but was released without much difficulty. 

u Damascus is a famous rendezvous for caravans. The 
caravans for Mecca, Bagdad, and various other places, 
either pass or start from this place. Some had come in 



24 DAMASCUS. 

just before we were there, and others were preparing for 
their departure. This gave some activity to the busi- 
ness of the place. I had not time to go out to the edge 
of the desert, where thej usually encamp, and there to 




EASTERN GATE OF DAMASCUS. 



see the grotesque appearance, the odd mixture, and pell- 
mell state of things produced by such assemblages of 
men of all nations, and such herding together of man 
and beast. — Paxton. 

" Near the Eastern Gate, we found the Bagdad caravan 
arriving, and unloading on the contiguous plain. It 
consisted of not fewer than 4,500 camels, loaded princi- 
pally with spices, tobacco, and a variety of Indian goods, 
a great part of which were consigned to the Jewish 
merchants, who, with their scribes, were standing ready 
to take an account of them. It put the whole town 
into a state of excitement. The noise and confusion 
caused by the numerous sons of the Desert unloading. 



DAMASCUS. 



25 



their jaded animals, and resigning their charge, surpass 
all description." — Lands of the Bible. 

u Damascus, and the region about it, is somewhat 
celebrated for its fruit of various kinds. The grapes 
were fine — the apricots good and abundant — the plums 
the largest and finest I ever saw, being nearly as large 
as a hen's egg. I saw but few peaches, they are said to 
be good — the figs were fine, of course — the apples indif- 
ferent. The white mulberry-tree is much cultivated, 
not for its fruit, which is but little esteemed, but for 
feeding the silk-worm. The silk forms a considerable 
branch of the Damascus trade, and the manufacture is 
carried on to some extent. The black mulberry is found 
in considerable quantities, and is cultivated for its deli- 
cious fruit. The white walnut is with the natives a 
favourite tree, the nut is rich, and of a pleasant taste. 
The tree gives a fine shade, grows well near the water, 
and is larger than most of the other trees. The syca- 
more is found here. The plane-tree is also found, but 
not very common. There is a very large one in Damascus 
near one of the gates. We measured it — thirty-six feet 
round. The karoob-tree is a variety of the locust. The 
fruit is the husks which the Prodigal Son would have 
eaten — a bean-like pod with a sweetish meal in it."— 
See Paxton's Letters. 



DESCRIPTIONS OF DAMASCUS. 

Mr. King thus describes Damascus, which he visited 
in company with Mr. Fisk, during their Missionary 
labours. 

" You see a great city thickly set with houses of a 
whitish appearance, which have very little to distinguish 
them from each other. The minarets, of which there 
may be seventy or eighty, with here and there a tall 
cypress, rising above the houses, are the only things 
which break in upon the uniformity. This whitish city 



26 



DAMASCUS. 



you see in the midst of a lar^e wood, about fiftv mile! 
in circumference, with little variety, except what arises 
from the dark green of the chestnuts, and the dark 
mournful appearance of the poplars and olives. In the 
skirts of the wood is to be seeD here and there a little 
village, with a mosque. This wood, which actually con- 
sists of an immense number of gardens and orchards, 
lies in a great plain, surrounded by chains of hills and 
mountains." — Memoirs of Rev. Puny Fisk, p. 349. 

" The lovely city of Damascus surpassed all I had 
hitherto seen. It has the appearance of one vast garden 
studded with houses, for every house is built in the 
midst of a garden ; and it well deserves all the encomiums 




MOSQUE IN DAMASCUS. 



bestowed upon it. The mosques and bazaars surprise 
the traveller by their beauty ; nor is his astonishment 
less excited by the riches displayed in the street called 
' Straight/ where all kinds of eastern and western pro- 



DAMASCUS. 



27 



duce can be had, — stuffs, velvets, Cashmere shawls, 
Damascus silks, and every description of fresh and pre- 
served fruits. Then the bustle of the caravans arriving 
from all parts of the east, the turbans, the noble families, 
the wealth of the place, the caravanseras, and especially 
that of Assaad Pasha. . ." — Voice from Lebanon. 

The bazaars are among the greatest curiosities of Da™ 
mascus. " They are generally covered or uncovered 
arcades, with a row of shops on each side, separated 
from one another by wooden partitions, open in front, 
and capable of being closed with wooden panniers, 
There is a separate bazaar for almost every commodity 
exposed for sale, — for all kinds of eatables and drink- 
ables, chewables, blastables, and smellables; for all sorts 
of apparel ; and for personal, domestic, professional, 
civil, and military instruments, and implements of con- 
venience, amusement, offence, defence, and destruction; 
for accoutrements for asses, horses, and camels ; and for 
fittings and furniture for doors, windows, and apart- 
ments of houses, khans, and cafes. Their possessors sit 
more than stand in their shops, making a long stretch 
of hand to help their customers. These bazaars are 
patrolled by multitudes of confectioners, and dealers in 
ice and cooled sherbet. 

" The costume of the men on the streets is rich and 
varied. Great numbers of pleasure-hunters are at all 
times found lounging in the cafes, drawing their pipes 
and hubble-bubbles, sipping coffee, swallowing sherbet, 
sucking sweetmeats, bolting fruits, and, above all, talk- 
ing scandal. Some of these cafes are in the most fre- 
quented streets ; and some of them, tolerably good 
imitations of rustic bowers, are in the gardens, where 
abundance of shade and verdure, and artificial water- 
falls, and playing fountains, conspire to enhance the 
luxuries which they afford. Some of them are con- 
nected with the baths of the town." — Lands of the Bible. 

" On entering the church at Damascus, I could not help 
reflecting, that the many hundred years of persecution 



28 



DAMASCUS. 



had not been able to extirpate the followers of the cross. 
The Christians have endured all kind of persecution, 
rather than give up their holy religion, for God has 
sustained them. I was much struck with the devotion 
of some of the Christians : and with double interest I 
here read the history of St. Paul, and beheld the 
descendants of those very Christians who had been con- 
verted to the faith by that Apostle. I was shown the 
spot where our Lord appeared to St. Paul, and its geo- 
graphical position confirms the fact, as it is near the 
Jerusalem gate. The street called ' Straight 5 is pecu- 
liar, being two miles in length. (It is the most im- 
portant and capacious street in Damascus, running from 
east to west, and at present one of the busiest scenes of 
Eastern commerce within the city.) 

" Damascus has a population of 110,000 souls : of 
these, about five thousand are Christians, five thousand 
Jews, and the remainder Mohammedans. It is divided 
into different quarters, and each has its name. 

" The chief manufactures of Damascus, which are held 
in great esteem, are silks, leather, soap, biscuits, and 
steel. The city and environs abound in delicious grapes, 
and certainly in all my travels I never tasted anything 
like the grapes of Dariah, a village near Damascus. 

" This book is too small to admit of my mentioning all 
the varieties of fruits which abound there ; but I must 
name apricots and peaches, apples and pears, plums and 
cherries, all sorts of beautiful flowers, such as the 
Damascus rose, jessamine, &c. ; and the finest vegetables. 
Many of the Mohammedan nobles, called Sadats and 
Beys, reside at Damascus. These nobles possess the 
land, live in great state, and spend their money freely. 
Their houses are beautiful outside ; and nothing can 
exceed the splendour within, and the richness of the 
furniture. The guests are often seated on silk-velvet 
cushions, and divans of gold stuff, and Persian and 
Turkey carpets. They are regaled with Mocha coffee 
and perfumes, musk and amber, and they burn fragrant 



ABANA AND PHARPAR. 



29 



wood in their long pipes and narqulees, a kind of 
hooka. — Voice from Lebanon. 

"Damascus is the principal rendezvous of the Bedawin 
of the Syrian desert, to which they resort for the supply 
of many of their wants, and for entering into engage- 
ments for the conveyance of merchandise and the con- 
ducting of pilgrims to Medina and Mecca, the holy cities 
of the Muslims. It is much to be desired, on this 
account, that it were indeed a centre from which the 
light of Divine truth might radiate far and near among 
the long-benighted children of the wilderness." — Lands 
of the Bible. 




RIVER BARADA. 



ABANA AND PHAKPAK. 
SCRIPTURE NOTICE. 

" Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, 
better than all the waters of Israel ? may I not wash in 
them and be clean f — 2 Kings v. 12. 



30 



ABANA AND PHARPAE. 



"We kept winding along the banks of the Barada, 
sometimes on one side and sometimes on the other, 
amidst interesting scenery, as the ravine through which 
the river flows is shaded by poplar, mulberry, and other 
trees, and the outline of the hills on each side of it is 
very picturesque. "Wherever cultivation is practicable, 
in any little valley or gentle slope, it is sure to be 
exhibited. We passed several villages inhabited by 
Musalmans. Xear Fijah, a stream comes down from the 
left hand, and joins the Barada, which, I much regret, 
our arrangements did not permit us to trace to its 
source, as many are of opinion, I believe warrantably so. 
that it is the Abana of Scripture. ' The river of 
Damascus,' says an old writer, 1 rises under a Christian 
church ... It then runs through a vale, from which 
issue many fountains. It then unites with the river 
which is called Barada, and, joined with it, forms one 
river.' 

••' A friend from India has kindly favoured me with 
her memoranda of the Fijah, which she visited in the 
summer of 1846. -'Our encampment/ she writes, 'at 
the village of Fijah was pleasantly situated in a grove of 
walnut-trees, on a bank slightly rising above the Barada, 
which rushed past in a most rapid stream. The Fijah 
river had its junction with the Barada a few hundred 
yards above our encampment. They are distinguished 
by the white and black rivers — which is clearly marked 
in their waters, the Barada being of a whitish hue, 
said to be sulphureous. The Fijah gushes from the 
foundations of what has evidently been a temple. My 
eldest boy bathed in it, entering the water from this 
spot, but found the stream so rapid that he could not 
attempt to swim. The ruin? struck us as a temple which 
might have been in its splendour in the days of Palmyra 
and Baalbec. It is quite a spot to strike the imagination, 
and where a heathen would delight to honour his gods. 
The river is probably the shortest in the world, since it- 
only runs in a rapid stream a few hundred yards, when 



ABANA AND PHARPAE. 31 

✓ 

it is lost in the Barada. Its water is delicious, like 
iced water in the hottest day.' " — Wilson's Lands of the 
Bible. 

Richardson describes the same river thus. " It issues 
from the limestone rock on the left hand side of the road, 
a deep, rapid stream, of about thirty feet wide ; it is 
pure and cold as iced water, and after coursing down a 
strong and rugged channel for about a hundred yards, 
falls into the Barada, where it loses both its name and 
its beauty." 

" After crossing the Barada upon a bridge with a 
Saracenic arch, and going through a narrow and most 
romantic pass, with precipitous rocks on each side of us, 
marked by cuttings and excavations, we entered the 
Wadi Barada, properly so called. A little previous to 
this, we had come to a fine cascade, the waters of which 
were dashing over the rocks with great fury, and raising 
the vapour and spray like smoke. This spot Russeger 
makes 3,346 feet above the level of the sea, so that the 
Barada has to fall a thousand feet from this before it 
gets to the level of Damascus. This may give one 
an idea of the velocity with which it must proceed. 
Lord Lindsay says, c At five hours and three quarters 
from Damascus, we entered a wild mountain pass, 
through which the Barada comes foaming down like a 
maniac' The Barada is generally admitted to be the 
Pharpar of Scripture." — Wilson's Lands of the Bible. 

" After about an hours ride (from Damascus) we 
reached the ancient Pharpar, now called Barada. It 
flows rapidly over a bed of rock. We followed its course 
a long time, amidst plantations of figs, pomegranates, 
vines, and olives. Numerous little streams gushed from 
the rocks, and ran at our feet, eager to reach the channel 
of the river. About middle day we entered a wild 
mountain pass, the Barada foaming down from its side 
with raging fury. From this romantic scenery we 
emerged into the upper valley, as it is called, where this 
celebrated river seems to have lost all its impetuosity, 



THE HAURAN. 



flowing past us in the gentlest manner, and diffusing, as 
its ancient name Pharpar imports, verdure and fertility 
all around." — Bible in Palestine. 



THE HAUBAN. 

BOSZRA OE HATJRAN — ASHTAROTH — EDKEI— KENATH, OH NOBAH. 
SCRIPTURE NOTICE. 

" The east side ye shall measure from Hauran." — 
Ezek. xlvii. 18. 



" The Hauran is mentioned in Ezekiel, in connexion 
with the eastern boundary of the land of Israel. It is 
the later Auranitis. It is divided into three districts, 
viz., En-Nakrah, which is the most productive, El-Lejah, 
which is covered with a stony soil and with heaps of 
rocks interspersed with small patches of meadow, and 
El-Jebel, which is almost entirely mountainous. Esh- 
meskin is the present capital of the Hauran. The whole 
province is full of ruined villages, built almost entirely 
of hewn stone, of the time of the Romans. Among the 
ancient sites within its borders which have been identi- 
fied, are those of Edrei, one of the cities of Og, king of 
Bashan • of Ashtarah, or Ashtaroth, mentioned in Joshua 
in connexion with the preceding ; of Busrah, the Bostra 
of the Greeks and Romans, and the capital of Arabia 
Provincia (though not the Bozrah of Edom), the ruins of 
which are very considerable ; of Kenath of Numbers, 
probably Canatha, one of the ten cities of the Decapolis, 
which is placed by Eusebius near Bostra, &c. . . . East 
of Jebel Hauran is the minor district of Bathaniyah, 
perhaps a portion of the Scripture Bashan. 

u The 6 Ardh-el-'Ajlun ' is the district south of Jaulan, 
and west of the Hauran. From the view we had of it 
from different heights west of the Jordan, I can easily 
understand the accounts which are given of its pastoral 



BOSZRA OF EAUEAV. 33 

bean:" and fertility. I an ra:hrr sear r rise d :ha: i^::; 
the various identifications whi:h Lave been maae cf late 
vears. both of the towns ana -disiricTS :: the H:lv Lani 
the etymological fa:: sterns to Lave baaia t-verlooke-d. 
that the Ardh-elb\U~an is simrly the ::rresr :r_air_e; 
Arabic of the Hebrew, 'the land of Eglon,' withont the 
chaise at a single letter. I aaaa somewhat inclined :: 
associate it with the memory of £ Eglon the king of 
Moat." to* wh:m the Israelites were subservient far 
eighteen years." — Wilsons Lands of ike Bible. 



BOSZRA OF MAURIS. 

u Ajcosg the cities of the Hanran, the rnins of which 
are considerable and interesting, is Boszra. the Bostra of 
the Greeks and Romans, and which has by many been 
regarded as the Bozrah : : I .1 : m ; but this arrears ra- 
fifcely, from the feet that the Hanran Bozra lies far 
beyond the limits of the Idnmean territory. The Bozrah 



of Edom may pnbably be leaked for a: Bus air eb a 
vibage situated abu: miawey between Kernae aa:b::a. 
(See Bozrah of Edom.) Of the Boszra of Hanran. the 
principal ruins are, the remains of a temple situated on 
the side cf a long street which reus aerass tie while 
town, and terminates at the western gate. There are 
four rates: beautiful columns in front of this temple. A 
triumphal arch, and a very large reservoir, almost per- 
fect, with a staircase leading down to the water, and a 
lar^e castle, also claim the attention of the visit tr. The 
environs of the town are c:verel with rains, an::: 
which a uumter of hne roses grow wild." 1 — See 

B-BCKHAEm. 



34 



ASHTAROTH. 



ASHTAROTH— EDKEI. 
SCRIPTURE NOTICES. 

" Then we turned, and went up the way to Bashan : 
and Off the kino- of Bashan came out against us, he and 
all his people, to battle at Edrei." — Bent. iii. 1. 

" All the kingdom of Off in Bashan, which reigned in 
Ashtaroth, and in Edrei, who remained of the remnant 
of the giants : for these did Moses smite, and cast them 
out." — Joshua xiii. 12. 



The ruins of Ashtaroth (Ashtareh) have but lately 
been discovered. 

" Tel'Ashtereh is a large mound, partly natural, partly 
artificial, in the midst of a vast plain. 

" The circumference of Tel'Ashtereh is more than half 
a mile, and its height from fifty to one hundred feet. 
Its base is formed of trap-rock, and its upper part is 
covered with a peculiar dark ash-coloured soil, mingled 
with stones and fragments of ancient pottery, such as 
are invariably found on sites of the most ancient places 
in Syria. Near the base of this hill, ancient foundations 
of massive stones, hewn and unhewn, can be distinctly 
traced. 

" In the soil of the surrounding plain, numerous frag- 
ments of stone and pottery show that it is the site of an 
ancient town, of which this Tel or mound was once 
probably the Acropolis. Its summit presents an irre- 
gular surface, now partly occupied by stone enclosures, 
thrown up by the Arabs to form sheep-folds. From the 
base of the mound, there gush forth copious and never- 
failing springs of excellent water ; which form a small 
reedy pool and marsh, affording an ample supply for 
any large flocks and herds. In July 1846, there were 
upwards of 20,000 camels and more than 50,000 goats 
grazing there ; as the fine pastures of the surrounding 



KENATH 



3o 



plain attract vast numbers of Arabs thither during the 
summer months. Upwards of 10,000 of them then lay 
encamped round the base of the mound, and between 
it and Nawa." — Journal of the Royal Geographical 
Society. 



KENATH OR NOEAH. 
SCRIPTURE NOTICE. 

" And Nobah went and took Kenath ... and called it 
Nobah, after his own name." — Num. xxxii. 42. (Judges 
viii. 11. 1 Chron. ii. 23.) 



" Kanouat is situated upon a declivity on the banks 
of the deep Wady Kanouat, which flows through the 
town, and whose steep banks are supported by walls in 
several places. To the south-west of the town is a 
copious spring. 

" There are a number of high columns on a terrace, 
at some distance fromt he town, enclosing a square, 
within which is a row of subterranean apartments. The 
terrace is ten feet high, with a broad flight of steps 
leading up to it. The whole ground upon which the 
ruined habitations stand, is overgrown with oak-trees 
which hide the ruins. 

" The circuit of this ancient city may be about two 
miles and a half or three miles. From the spring, there 
is a beautiful view into the plain of the Hauran, bounded 
on the opposite side by the mountain of the Heish, now 
covered with snow. The principal building in the town 
is on the banks of the Wady, and is approached by a 
paved street, which lies along its deep bed . . . there are 
also some broken statues of idols. There were only two 
Druse families at Kanouat, who were employed in 
cultivating a few tobacco-fields." — See Burckhardt's 
Syria, &c. 



36 



TADMOR. 




TADMOR IN THE DESERT. 
SCRIPTUKE NOTICE. 

" Solomon built Tadmor in the wilderness." — 
2 Chron. viii. 4. 



" On opening the ruins of Palmyra, as seen from the 
Valley of the Tombs, we were much struck with the pic- 
turesque effect of the whole, presenting altogether the most 
imposing sight of the kind we had ever seen ; and it was 
rendered doubly interesting, by our having travelled 
through a wilderness destitute of a single building, and 
from which we suddenly opened upon these innumerable 
columns and other ruins on a sandy plain, on the skirts of 
the desert ; their snow- white appearance, contrasted with 
the yellow sand, produced a very striking effect. Great, 
however, was our disappointment, when, on a minute ex- 
amination, we found that there was not a single column, 



TADMOR. 



37 



portal, &c. worthy of admiration (in itself.) Taken 
altogether, these ruins are certainly more remarkable, by 
reason of their extent, (being nearly a mile and a half 
in length,) than any we have hitherto met with, and 
they are, moreover, less encumbered by modern fabrics 
than any we have witnessed ; for except the Arab village 
of Tadmor, which occupies the court of the Temple of 
the Sun, and the Turkish burying place, there are no 
obstructions whatever to the antiquities. 

" We found the tombs very interesting ; their con- 
struction is different from anything we had elsewhere 
seen. They consist of a number of square towers, three, 
four, and five stories high j they are situated without the 
walls of the ancient city. The best remaining are on 
each side of the valley which leads to Horns and 
Hamah. There are generally five sepulchral chambers, 
one over the other, and on each side are eight recesses, 
each divided into four or five parts for the reception of 
corpses. The best of these lower apartments which we 
saw, are very handsome ; the ceiling, on which the paint 
is still very perfect, is ornamented with the heads of 
different heathen deities. We were much interested by 
the remains of some of the mummies and mummy 
cloths, which appear to have been preserved very much 
after the manner of the Egyptians. The lines of the 
streets and foundations of the houses of Palmyra, are 
very distinguishable in some places. On one building 
there is a Hebrew inscription. There is a great quan- 
tity of salt in the desert adjoining Tadmor, which 
forms a lucrative branch of commerce to the present 
natives."— -See Xrby and Mangles. 



38 



BAALBEC. 




BAALBEC, PROBABLY THE BAAL-GAD AND BAAL-HAMON 
OE SCULPTURE. 

[Josh. xi. 17 ; xii. 7 ; xiii. 5. Cant. viii. 11.] 

" We hired a guide to conduct us over Lebanon into 
the valley in which Baalbec is situated. Leaving the 
cedars about an hour after sunrise, we ascended to the 
crest of Lebanon, where we had an extensive view over 
the hills at its S.E. foot, into the valley, with Baalbec 
in the distance : and beheld also, to the westward, the 
sea for a considerable distance. 

" The valley of Baalbec has an excessively rich soil, 
but it is put to little advantage, being very partially 
cultivated, and having no trees except in the immediate 
neighbourhood of Baalbec itself, which are chiefly the 
fig and walnut. The valley is bounded on the north- 
west side by Lebanon, and on its south-east by Anti- 
Lebanon : its breadth may be about ten miles, while its 



BAALBEC. 



39 



length extends as far as the eye can reach. 1 The river 
Kasmia has its source to the north of Baalbec, and, run- 
ning through the plain, discharges itself into the sea a 
little to the north of Tyre. How deplorable that so 
luxuriant a spot, with a fine loamy soil, should lay waste 
and desolate ! and what ideas of former wealth and mag- 
nificence do the splendid ruins of Baalbec call to the 
mind ! 

"In descending from the summit of Lebanon, the 
road was excessively steep and rugged ; we dismounted, 
and walked our horses down it ; the sides of the moun- 
tain abound in partridges, all red-legged, and other 
game. At the south-east foot of this part of Lebanon is 
the source of a fine clear rivulet, which finally unites 
with the Kasmia. From hence we proceeded over some 
rugged hills covered with shrubs ; a species of oak, the 
myrtle, and the almond-tree, are all remarkable. They 
have a tradition that there were formerly gardens here, 
and the almond and pear-trees seem to confirm the 
idea. . . 

"Early next morning we arrived at Baalbec, and 
employed the whole day in visiting the antiquities ... I 
cannot help making a few observations on one mass 
of ruins, the imposing grandeur of which particularly 
struck us. I allude to that remnant of a colonnade 
where there are six columns standing ; the beauty and 
elegance of these pillars are surprising . . . We imagine 
these pillars to have been the remains of an avenue of 
twenty columns on each side, forming an approach to 
the Temple . . . There are remarkably large stones used 
in the buildings of the various edifices . . . We mea- 
sured a single stone of sixty- six feet in length, and 
twelve in breadth and thickness. The whole of these 
buildings, together with the walls, are of coarse marble, 
excessively hard. 

" The inhabitants of the valley are a particular sect of 

i This valley is also called that of the Kasmia, and Bekaa, and forms 
part of the district of Ccelo-Syria. 



40 



BAALBEC. 



Mahometans — more hostile to Christians than any of the 
natives of Syria : they were (however) to us, quiet and 
well disposed." — Irby and Mangles, pp. 212 — 216. 




G-ATE AT BAALBEC. 



" About a mile from Baalbec, in one of the quarries 
which furnished the materials for the construction of its 
temples, lies prostrate that wonderful block of stone 
which has excited as much astonishment, and almost as 
much admiration, as the ruins themselves. It measures 
68 feet in length, 17 feet 8 inches in width, and 13 feet 
10 inches in thickness. In what remote period it was 
hewn from the parent rock, why it never was made use 
of, and what cause arrested its removal when in a state 
of completion" (are and must remain mysteries.) — Mrs. 
Homer. 

"Between seven and eight in the evening we were 
encamped on the eastern side of these celebrated re- 



BAALBEC. 



41 



mains ; and when the moon rose, they presented one of 
the most charming pictures I ever beheld ; but I was 
too weary to enjoy it, and soon betook myself to my 
couch for the night, after drinking abundantly of the 
clear cool waters which flow profusely round the walls of 
Baalbec, and gladden with their joyous music the weary 
traveller during every wakeful hour of the night. The 
tents were pitched in a fine grove of fig-trees. Our 
horses were tethered around us ; and soon sleep cast her 
mantle over the wanderers in a far land. 

" I cannot venture on a minute description of Baalbec, 
... It left on my mind a sense of overpowering vast- 
ness . . . The first thing that arrested my attention was 
the positive state of tumbled ruin in which the greater 
part of Baal's temple lay . . . All its parts are of gigantic, 
yet most graceful proportion . . . All lie in dire confu- 
sion, yet as fresh almost as if just from the artist's 
chisel . . . Enough, both of the great temple, and the 
Temple of the Sun, remains, to convey an accurate notion 
of the whole design. . . 

" I can and do admire Baalbec for the magnificence 
of its design, the severe and massive simplicity of its 
style, and the delicacy of its details. I remember it as 
a noble specimen of ancient art and genius ; but apart 
from all things beside, I behold in it an imperishable 
memorial of God's righteous dealing towards those who 
would rob Him of his glory, and transfer it to the crea- 
ture. Every yet erect column, and every fallen capital 
over which the lizard rushes, or about which the serpent 
twines, 1 speaks eloquently to men of all climes who 
muse and meditate in the silence of these majestic ruins. 
In this point of view every ruined heathen temple is 
valuable. Oh the costliness which idolatry has lavished 
upon ruinous error ! Little did the adorers of gods 

l " Great numbers of lizards, graceful creatures, may be seen sporting 
and darting along at every step ; and we found part of the cast skin of a 
serpent several feet in length. It must have belonged to a reptile of great 
size." 



42 



BEYEOUT. 



which were no gods, think how they were erecting monu- 
ments to the true and only One!" — Fisk's Pastor*s 
Memorial. 



BEYEOUT. 

" The plain of Beyrout commences at the foot of Leba- 
non, about four miles from the town. It is the eastern 
part of the promontory on which Beyrout is situated. 
There is a very large olive-grove in it. arid also a grove 
of pines. The road to Beyrout, after leaving the groves 
now mentioned, leads through plantations of mulberry 
trees, and the gardens in the vicinity of the town, which 
add so much to the beauty of the place. On each side 
of the road there are high hedges, principally of the 
Cactus Indicus. . . The town is much crowded with 
houses, and the streets are narrow. In the suburbs 
there are many fine gardens, and orchards, and groves, 
surrounded generally by hedges of the prickly pear, and 
containing great numbers of mulberry, and flowering, 
and fruit trees. In the midst of these gardens there are 
many commodious houses, with flat roofs. The place is 
beautiful in itself, and the view from it of Lebanon is 
grand and magnificent. Jebel Sannin, one of the highest 
parts of the range, particularly attracts attention, with 
its snow-covered peaks. Beyrout is reckoned the healthiest 
town on the coast of Syria ; it has every appearance of 
being a thriving place. The cultivation of silk is rapidly 
increasing in its neighbourhood, and the town contains 
many silk and cotton weavers, and manufacturers of gold 
and silver thread. The grape is abundant in the parts 
of Lebanon contiguous to it ; and considerable quantities 
of red and white wine, with a comparatively small por- 
tion of alcohol, are produced from it, which are sold in the 
bazaars of Beyrout at a low price, and which, as generally 
used by the people without intoxication, forms to them 
a great blessing. Beyrout is a sort of rendezvous to tra- 
vellers in Syria. It is the landing place, indeed, of 



GEBAL. 



43 



most persons of this description who visit the Holy 
Land. The only remains of antiquity connected with 
Beyrout are to be found on the shore. They consist of a 
few pillars . . . traces of baths, &c. . . The place is one 
of olden celebrity. Bochart imagines that Baal-berith, 
of Judges viii. 33, was connected with this town." — 
Wilson's Lands of the Bible. 



GEBAL, BYBLT7S, OR JEBEIL. 
SCRIPTURE NOTICES. 

" And the land of the Giblites, and all Lebanon/' &c. 
— Joshua xiii. 5. 

" The ancients of Gebal and the wise men thereof 
were in thee thy calkers." — Ezek. xxvii. 9. 

" Jebeil was our resting-place for the night. We 
pitched our tents on the rising ground a little to the 
south-east of the houses and ruins, for they are sadly 
commingled together. The place has evidently been 
one of great consequence. Numerous pillars of red and 
grey granite are seen strewn about, and built in the 
walls, houses, and even terraces in the fields ; and a large 
khan, outside the walls, has its corridor supported by 
them. There is a high tower, the lower parts of which 
are bevelled in the Phenician form, and evidently ex- 
tremely ancient. One of the old cut stones we found to 
be sixteen feet in length, five feet nine inches in depth, 
and four feet in breadth. The length of another which 
we measured is eighteen feet . . . The harbour of Jebeil 
is small, and only boats at present can enter. 

" Jebeil was the Byblus of the Greeks, and, according 
to Philo, the first city of the Phenicians. Speaking of 
it, Maundrell says, ' Gibyle is probably the country of the 
Giblites, mentioned in Joshua xiii. 5.' King Hiram 
made use of the people of this place in preparing mate- 
rials for Solomon's temple, as may be collected from 



44 



HAMATH, RIBLAH, ZED AD. 



1 Kings v. 18, where the word which our translators 
have rendered stone-squarers, in the Hebrew is Giblim, 
or GMites" 1 — Wilson's Lands of the Bible. 



HAMATH, RIBLAH, ZED AD. 

THE OEONTES— GEORGIAN SLATES. 
SCRIPTURE NOTICES. 

" From Mount Hor ye shall point out your border 
unto the entrance of Hamath ; and the goings forth of 
the border shall be to Zedad." — Numb, xxxiv. 8. 
(Ezek. xlvii. 15, 16.) 

" Solomon held a great feast, and all Israel with him 
. . . from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of 
Egypt." — 1 Kings viii. 65. 

" Where is the king of Hamath 1 ?" — 2 Kings xix. 13. 

" Pharaoh-nechoh put (Jehoahaz) in bands at Riblah, 
in the land of Hamath." — 2 Kings xxiii. 33 ; xxv. 21. 

" The Lord shall set his hand again the second time 
to recover the remnant of his people . . . from Hamath." 
— Isa. xi. 11. 

" Hamath the great." — Amos vi. 2. 

The kingdom of Hamath is often alluded to in Scrip- 
ture, as in 2 Kings xvii. 24 ; 2 Chron. viii. 3, 4 ; 
2 Sam. viii. 9 ; &c. &c. 

" Hamah is situated on both sides of the Orontes; a 
part of it is built on the declivity of a hill, and a part 
in the plain. The town is of considerable extent ; in 
the middle of the city is a square mound of earth, upon 
which the castle formerly stood ; there are four bridges 
over the Orontes in the town. The river supplies the 

1 In. Joshua xiii. 5, the Giblites are mentioned in connexion with 
Lebanon in the description of the country remaining to he possessed by 
the Israelites, proceeding from south to north, and agreeing with Jebeil or 
Byblus. 



HAMATH, RIBLAH, ZEDAD. 



45 



upper town with water by means of buckets fixed to 
high wheels, which empty themselves into stone canals, 
supported by lofty arches on a level with the upper parts 
of the town. There are about a dozen of the wheels ; 
the largest of them is at least seventy feet in diameter. 
The town, for the greater part, is well built, although 
the walls of the dwellings, a few palaces excepted, are of 
mud ; but their interior makes amends for the roughness 
of their external appearance. The principal trade of 
Hamah is with the Arabs, who buy here their tent 
furniture and clothes. The abbas, or woollen mantles, 
made here, are much esteemed. Hamah is the residence 
of many opulent Turkish gentlemen. The government 
of Hamah comprises about 120 inhabited villages, and 
seventy or eighty which have been abandoned. The 
western part of its territory is the granary of northern 
Syria. 

" From a point on the cliff above the Orontes, the 
traveller enjoys a beautiful view over the town. The 
Orontes irrigates a great number of gardens belonging 
to Hamah, which in winter time are generally inun- 
dated. Whenever the gardens lie higher than the river, 
wheels like those already mentioned are met with in the 
narrow valley, for the purpose of raising up water to 
them." — Burckhardt. 

" The approach to Hamah for the last hour was 
'pretty enough, descending into a vale through which the 
Orontes takes a winding course, the banks of which are 
cultivated, wooded, and laid out occasionally in gardens 
on one side, with perpendicular chalky cliffs in some 
parts on the other. Here are immense wheels or sackeys, 
turned by the stream of the river, to raise the water for 
the irrigation of the soil. Hamah is the Epiphania of 
the Greeks and Eomans, though it is, no doubt, the site 
of the ancient Hamath mentioned in various parts of 
Scripture, together with Damascus, Lebanon, and other 
contiguous places. It took its name from the sons 1 of 

1 Gen. x. 18. 



HAMATH, RIBLAK, ZED AD. 



Canaan, the fourth son of Ham, the son of Xoah. which 
makes it of very high antiquity. 

" Hainan is delightfully situated in a hollow, between 
and on the sides of two hills, near the west bank of the 
Orontes. but in itself presents nothing worthy of notice 
at this day. We took up our quarters in a khan . . . 
we paid one shilling and five pence for admittance, and 
one penny per day for the lodging ... As for provision, 
we always got that from the market, and cooked it in 
our own room, making excellent soup, roast. &a Our 
principal meat was mutton . . . We witnessed a melan- 
choly scene the few last days we were here. There arrived 
one evening, four shabby-looking, ill-dressed Turks, and 
an elderly knave better clad . . . These people brought 
with them eleven Georgian girls, the remnant of between 
forty and fifty, as we were informed, whom they had 
stolen or kidnapped from their parents on the confines 
of Georgia : they were brought to be sold to wealthy 
Turks . . . These poor girls were lodged in the cells 
contiguous to ours ; they were mostly between fifteen 
and twenty years of age ; two were younger, being about 
twelve. They were ail exceedingly pretty, with black 
sparkling eyes, rosy cheeks, long black hair, and very 
fair complexions . . . They were taken out and con- 
ducted through the town to the rich Turkish houses, to 
be viewed and bid for. the same as any other merchan- 
dise : and on two occasions parties of the principal 
inhabitants came to our khan, and examined and bid for 
the unhappy creatures at the door of their cells, they 
being obliged to stand in a row. while their several 
merits were discussed by the rival bidders." — Irby and 
Mangles. 

" Hamah is well known as the ancient Epiphania. It 
is of more importance to notice it as the Hamath so often 
mentioned in Scripture, in connexion with the northern 
boundary of the territory allotted to the tribes. Its 
neighbourhood is remarkably fertile, though by no means 
so well cultivated as it ought to be." — Lands of the Bible. 



HOMS, 



47 




HOMS. 

" Homs is surrounded by a strong wall, and has a 
citadel, said to have been built by King Solomon. 
Homs is famous for her Arabian poets and writers. 
The chief manufactures of Homs are beautiful cloaks, 
made of wool, the most ancient garment of the country. 
They also manufacture the Cafieh, a well-known hand- 
kerchief, which the Arabs and Bedouins carry on their 
heads, as a protection from the sun. It abounds in corn, 
butter, meal and fruits, wool, and manufactured goods. 
European merchandise is brought thither from Damascus, 
Tripoli, and Aleppo ; rice, chiefly Eygpfcian, is brought 
from Tripoli. The river Asie, the ancient Orontes, runs 
about a mile from the town ; its banks are planted with 
gardens, to which the natives resort to smell the fresh 
air, as they term it." — Voice from Lebanon, 

" The district of Homs, the ancient Emessa, lies to 
the south of Hamah. It is watered by the Orontes, and 
is exceedingly fertile. In the list of its villages is that 
of Riblah, mentioned in 2 Kings xxiii. 33, still bearing 



48 



ARPHAD. 



its ancient name. It is situated in the northern part 
of the valley Bekaa, on the river Orontes. Between 
Honis and Damascus, is Sadad, the Zedad mentioned in 
connexion with the north-eastern boundary of the Holy 
Land, in Ezek. xlvii. 15." — Lands of the Bible. 
(It is a large village, in the desert.) 



ARPHAD, OR ARPAD. 
SCRIPTURE NOTICES, 

" Where are the gods of Hamath and of Arpad V 9 — 
2 Kings xviii. 34. 

" Where is the king of Arpad t" — 2 Kings xix. 13. 

" Hamath is confounded, and Arpad ; for they have 
heard evil tidings." — Jer. xlix. 23. 

[Gen. x. 18. j Isa. x. 9 ; xxxvi. 19 ; xxxvi. 13.] 



"We reached Tortosa in time to visit the island of 
Ruad, as it is pronounced by the natives. It is called 
Arvad and Arphad, and is believed to be the seat of the 
ancient Arvadites. The Greeks and Romans called it 
Aradus, and the Arabs now call it Ruad, pronounced 
nearly as if written Rwad. We found it three miles 
from Tortosa, and at least two miles to the shore at the 
nearest point. We found about two thousand inhabit- 
ants, dwelling in very good, and, from appearance, very 
ancient houses . . . 

" Several large castles, in good repair, still protect this 
isle from invasion and insult. They are probably of 
Saracenic origin, but many have been constructed by the 
crusaders. Considerable portions of the very ancient 
wall remain. From the size of the stones, reminding 
the traveller of Baalbec, it is evident that this wall must 
have been prodigiously strong. It was built on the 
extreme verge of the rocks, so as to secure as large an 
area as possible ; and in some places it appears even to 



ARPHAD. 



49 



have encroached upon the dominions of the sea by means 
of arches. These walls must have been originally very 
lofty, as there is one portion still standing, at least forty 
feet in height. The entire circumference was nearly 
fifteen hundred paces, and every inch of space enclosed 
seems to have been built upon, and, as history states, 
with houses many stories high. The island is nearly as 
large as Tyre, and rises higher than that in the centre. 
There are no fountains on the island, but the population 
use rain-water preserved in cisterns. There are several 
hundreds of these, and most of them in good repair, so 
that water is quite abundant . . . There are two small 
harbours open to the north-east, and sheltered by a strong 
wall carried out into the sea from the north-west corner 
of the island ; this is the work of remote antiquity, as 
is the wall which divides the harbour into two. The 
people are nearly all sailors, or shipwrights. Several 
vessels are on the stocks at present, and one nearly ready 
to be launched. As nothing grows on the island, the 
inhabitants depend entirely upon the fruits of commerce 
and the riches of the sea for their subsistence. The 
eastern part of the island is used as a cemetery, but in 
the days of her power the Arvadites must have sought 
their sepulchres on the adjacent coast, and probably the 
tombs around the columns of Amreed were constructed 
by them. Many granite and marble columns are scat- 
tered over the island, and upon several of them I noticed 
inscriptions in Greek .... 

" Who can tell the history of Arvad ? in what volume 
is it recorded % Isaiah, 2,500 years ago, asks, c Where 
is the king of Hamath, and the king of ArphadT 
And Jeremiah, a hundred years later, responds, ( Hamath 
is confounded, and Arphad, for they have heard evil 
tidings ; they are faint-hearted, there is sorrow on the 
sea, it cannot be quiet.' " — Journal of the Rev. W. M. 
Thomson, in American Missionary Herald. 



E 



50 



HELBON. 



HE LB N. (ALEPPO.) 
SCRIPTURE NOTICE. 

The wine of Helbon." — Ezek. xxvii. 18. 



" Aleppo is pleasantly situated in a hollow surrounded 
by sloping hills, which are very uninteresting, having no 
trees. The houses are built of stone ; the streets are 
narrow and ill-paved, except the bazaars, which are all 
roofed over with arches, and are lighted from above. 
Thus you can walk all over the town on the terraces of 
the houses, the arches I have mentioned connecting the 
streets one with the other. The Franks avail them- 
selves of this mode of communication to visit each other 
during the time of the plague ; we made visits half a 
mile distant in this manner. We visited some Turkish 
houses, and were much struck with the beauty of the 
ceilings of the apartments, which are decorated by 
Persian artists ; they are very curiously gilded and 
painted. The decorations in carved work on the doors 
and window frames, are also extremely curious. We 
were struck with admiration at the neat and cleanly 
appearance of the butchers' shops, which are equal to 
those of London . . . The city is surrounded with 
gardens, watered by small rivulets. 

" Sometimes we went out shooting, the gardens near 
Aleppo abounding in woodcocks, &c. : twenty a day is 
not thought very good sport : I have killed altogether 
one dozen, but never more than three in one day ; we 
coursed the gazelle and hare alternately, the greyhounds 
in this country being very swift and strong. The 
cheapness and plenty of game is astonishing ; every day 
we have had either woodcocks, or partridges, wild-geese 
or ducks, teal, the bustard, or wild turkey, &c. ; and, to 
crown all, the porcupine, which is a delicious animal, 
resembling, both in appearance and taste, the pig and 
hare." — Irby and Mangles. 



ANTIOCH. 




ANTIOCH IN SYRIA. (SELEUCIA.) 
SCRIPTURE NOTICES. 

" Nicolas, a proselyte of Antioch." — Acts vi. 5. 

" The disciples were called Christians first in Antioch." 
— Acts xi. 26. (Read from verse 19 — 30.) 

" So they, being sent forth (from Antioch) by , the 
Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia, and from thence 
they sailed to Cyprus." — Acts xiii. 4. 

" Paul also and Barnabas continued in Antioch, 
teaching and preaching the word of the Lord." — 
Acts xv. 35. 

[Acts xiv. 26, &c. ; xv. 22, 30 ; xviii. 22 ; Gal. ii. 11.] 



HISTORICAL NOTICES, &C. 

The mention of the city of Antioch occurs so fre- 
quently in the Acts of the Apostles, and especially in 
the eleventh, thirteenth, and fourteenth chapters, that 



52 



ANTIOCH. 



many may perhaps be led to suppose there was but one 
city of that name. . . . 

There were, however, many cities of this name, but 
only two are mentioned in Scripture ; Antioch which 
was the capital of Syria, and another Antioch called 
Antioch of Pisidia. 

Antioch of Syria, was formerly called Eiblath ; and 
it was not known under the name of Antioch till after 
the reign of Seleucus Nicanor, who built it, and called it 
Antioch, from respect to his father Antiochus, 301 years 
before the Christian era. 

The kings of Syria, successors to Alexander the 
Great, generally resided at Antioch. There the disciples 
of Jesus Christ were first called Christians. 

This city, which was formerly so beautiful, so flourish- 
ing, and so illustrious, is scarcely any thing at present 
but a heap of ruins ; the city walls are still standing, 
but within the city there is nothing but ruins, gardens, 
and some bad houses ; the river Orontes runs near the 
city on the outside of it. The Bishop of Antioch 
has the title of Patriarch, and has a great share in the 
affairs of the Eastern Church. 

Antioch was almost square, had many gates, and much 
of it on the north side stood on a high mountain. It 
was adorned with galleries and fine fountains. It was 
celebrated throughout the world, and no city exceeded 
it either in fertility of soil, or richness of commerce. 
The Emperors Vespasian and Titus, and others, granted 
very great privileges to it ; but it has likewise been 
exposed to very great revolutions. It was almost 
demolished by earthquakes in the years 340, 394, etc. 
The Emperor Justinian repaired it in a.d. 529, and 
called it Theopolis, or the City of God, It was twice 
afterwards taken by the Persians ; subsequently it 
suffered a dreadful earthquake, in which above 60,000 
persons perished; in a.d. 970, an army of 100,000 
Saracens besieged it without success, but they afterwards 
subdued it, and made it almost impregnable by adding 



ANTIOCH. 



53 



new fortifications. Godfrey of Bouillon, when he 
attempted the conquest of the Holy Land, besieged it ; 
the siege was long and bloody, but the Christians at 
length carried it, a.d. 1098. Since a.d. 1268 it has 
lost its reputation and magnificence, and has groaned 
under the dominion of the Turk. 

Antioch abounded with great men, and the Church in 
the city was long governed by illustrious prelates ; but 
it suffered much on several occasions from various 
schisms. In 1832 Antioch surrendered to the Egyp- 
tians. — See Arundel's Asia Minor. 

After descending the mountains, through wild and 
woody scenery, " we reached the banks of the Orontes, 
at the place where commences the picturesque part of 
the river. The grand sources of water which compose 
the once celebrated fountain of Daphne, are still to be 
seen. In some instances, we were told, the water boils 
up as thick as a man's body, and may be thrown up 
for upwards of fifty feet. 

" We now began to follow the banks of the river, and 
were astonished at the beauty of the scenery, far sur- 
passing anything we expected to see in Syria, and 
indeed anything we had witnessed even in Switzerland, 
though we walked 900 miles in that country, and saw 
most of its beauty. The river, from the time we began 
to trace its banks, ran continually between two high 
hills, winding and turning incessantly; at times the 
road led along precipices in the rocks, looking down 
perpendicularly on the river. The luxuriant variety of 
foliage was prodigious, and the rich green myrtle, which 
was very plentiful, contrasted with the colour of the 
road, which was a dark -red gravel, made us imagine we 
were riding through pleasure-grounds. The laurel, 
laurustinus, bay-tree, fig-tree, wild vine, plane-tree, 
English sycamore, arbutus, dwarf oak, &c. were scattered 
in all directions. At times the road was overhung with 
rocks covered with ivy ; the mouths of caverns also 
presented themselves, and gave a wildness to the scene ; 



54 



ANTIOCH. 



and the perpendicular cliffs jutted into the river 
upwards of 300 feet high, forming corners round which 
the waters ran in a most romantic manner. We de- 
scended at times into plains cultivated with mulberry 
plantations and vines, and prettily studded with 
picturesque cottages. The occasional shallows of the 
river keeping up a perpetual roaring, completed the 
beauty of this delightful scene, which lasted about two 
hours, when we entered the plain of Suadeah, where 
the river becomes of a greater breadth, and runs in as 
straight a line as a canal. By the time we entered the 
plain it had become moonlight, and we had difficulty in 
finding Suadeah ; a peasant at last showed us a place 
where the river is fordable, for there is no bridge. We 
found Suadeah to be a straggling village, consisting of 
unconnected cottages, situated in a plain chiefly enclosed 
with mulberry and lemon plantations. We put up at a 
house appropriated for the use of travellers in general, 
and which we found the best place we had yet met with ; 
the soubash of the place, a sort of petty governor, was 
in the house, and treated us with wonderful civility, 
ordering us a good supper, feeding our horses, and in 
the morning he refused to let us pay a para. 

" In the morning we pursued our journey towards 
Antioch, being in a hurry, and understanding that the 
ruins of the ancient Seleucia, which are near the sea, 
(Suadeah being half an hour's distance from it,) possess no 
particular interest. The weather turned out very wet 
this day, and after we had been en route about three 
hours, being two hours' distance from Antioch, we per- 
ceived some cottages, and being thoroughly wet, we 
requested shelter ; we were refused at three cottages, 
but received in a fourth. These cottages are long 
buildings of a single room ; the cattle occupy one end, 
and human inhabitants the other. They have extensive 
plantations of young mulberries for the silkworms, and 
looms for manufacturing their produce. The occupants 
of the hut were uncommonly kind, placing us near 



ANTIOCH. 



55 



a large fire, giving us good beds and coverlids, and 
making us join them in a humble supper of doura and 
wheat boiled. It rained a great deal the whole night, 
and we were detained till noon on the following day, 
when we proceeded to Antioch." 

" Antioch is beautifully situated on the left bank of 
the Orontes, at the foot of a hill ; there is a good- 
looking bridge over the river, and some of the heights 
are picturesque. The present town, which is a miserable 
one, does not occupy more than one eighth part of the 
space included by the old walls, which have a fine 
venerable appearance, having square towers every 
hundred yards, with occasional turrets for looking out ; 
these are the works of the Roman and Greek Emperors. 
Antioch is said to have contained between eight and 
nine hundred thousand inhabitants. The plain of 
Antioch is considerably elevated above that of Suadeah. 
The houses of Antioch, Suadeah, Lourdee, and their 
neighbourhood, are roofed and tiled, without terraces, 
differing in that respect from most of the towns of 
Syria. There are many sepulchral caves in the side of 
the hill at the back of Antioch. This town is celebrated 
in the Acts of the Apostles : Paul and Barnabas embarked 
at Seleucia, (the present Suadeah, and the port of 
Antioch) for Cyprus. At Antioch we were lodged in 
a khan." — Irby and Mangles. 



CHAPTER II. 



MESOPOTAMIA— ASSTBIA— BABYLONIA. 
TTr op the Chaedees. — Haran — Semg. 

The Tigris. — Jungle — "Wild Animals — Fine Scenery near the " Pass of 
the Tigris." 

Nuieyeh. — Utter rnin of Xineveh — Mounds of Koyunjuk and Nebbi 
Yunus — Fulfilment of Prophecy — Mounds of Yarumjah — Huins of 
Nimrod. 

Kaeah Shereat. 

Ae-Kosh. — T\*ild Scenery — Chaldean Convent. 

Al "R ati he. — Remarkable Ruins — Inscriptions. 

Caeah Jewish Traditions — Interesting Antiquities. 

Plains or Shixar, or Babylonia. — Marshes of Lemlun. 

Babylon. — Ancient City — Present appearance of Babylon — Bums — The 
Palace — Mujelibe — Birs Xemroud — Tower of Babel, or Belus — Baby- 
lonian Antiquities — TTillah and the Euphrates — Ancient ruins at Al- 
Hheimar. 

Duea. — Perhaps at Imam Dour. 

Erech. 

Accad, 

Calxeh.— Ctesiphon and Seieucia. 

Kuth, or E/ctha. 

Bagdad. 



UR HARAN— -SERUG. 



57 



UR OF THE CHALDEES. — HARAN OR CHARRAN.— SERUG. 
SCRIPTURE NOTICES. 

"And Haran died before his father Terah, in the 
land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees . . . And Terah 
took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's 
son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram's 
wife j and they went forth with them from Ur of the 
Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan ; and they came 
unto Haran and dwelt there." — Gen. xi. 28, 31. 

[Gen. xv. 7. Net. ix. 7.] 

" Arise, flee thou to Laban my brother, to Haran." — 
Gen. xxvii. 43. 

[xii. 5. xxviii. 10. Also 2 Kings xix.12. Ezek. xxvii. 23. Acts vii. 2—4.] 

" Serug lived thirty years, and begat Nahor :" (the 
grandfather of Abraham.) — Gen. xi. 22. 

The city of Ur, where Abraham was born, and where 
Haran died, is to the present day called Urfah, Orfah, 
or Urhoi. It is at the foot of the mountains of Osroene, 
and at the head of the same great and fertile plain 
which contains the seats of the patriarchs of the family 
of Shem — Haran, and Serug. The pool of Abraham is 
still supposed to contain the descendants of the fish loved 
by the prophet. 

" The city of Urfah is built where the hilly and 
rocky regions terminate, at the rich and fertile plains of 
Haran, in Mesopotamia." — Ainsworth. 

The plains of Serug (Batnae) and of Haran (Charran), 
are very fertile. There is from them a great rice harvest ) 
and on the plain of Serug alone there are upwards of 
twenty villages, whose inhabitants are employed in this 
branch of husbandry. 

The city of Haran, about twenty miles from Urfah, 
still preserves its name, and Rezeph still exists as a 



58 



THE TIGRIS. 



ruined town of marble, on the road from Palmyra to 
Thapsacus. 

Haran is now a poor place, inhabited by a a few 
families of Bedouin Arabs, who resort to it on account 
of the good water it contains. 



THE TIGRIS—JUNGLE, "WILD AXD1ALS. 
SCRIPTURE NOTICE. 

" And the name of the third river is Hiddekel, that 
is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria." — Gea.ii. 14. 

" When sailing up the Tigris, (the Scripture Hiddekel) 
we stopped at a patch of brushwood-jungle, where nearly 
all the boatmen and guard went to cut wood for fuel. In 
the midst of this employment, one of the party disturbed 
a lion that was sleeping under a bush. He was greatly 
frightened, and speedily communicated his terror to his 
comrades, who hastened on board. The lion stole away, 
and the trackers, who had to walk through the same 
jungle, continued their work without making any ob- 
jection. G-ame of every description is abundant through- 
out, which reminds us that we are in the ancient kingdom 
of Ximrod, that ''mighty hunter before the Lord. ; The 
spot we were now passing, was quite living with the 
immense quantity of animals of all descriptions. At 
every step, our trackers put up pelicans, swans, geese, 
ducks, and snipes ; numbers of hogs were seen galloping 
about in every direction ; a lioness strolled towards our 
boat, and stood staring at us for two or three seconds ; 
when within thirty yards, Mr. Hamilton and myself 
both fired at her, but as we were loaded with small shot, 
we did her no injury • the noise of our guns made her 
turn quietly round, and she went away as leisurely as 
she came. 

" The jungle on the banks of the Tigris is composed 
of arbor vitee, and liquorice plant, which latter is very 



THE TIGRIS. 



59 



luxuriant, being in some places about the height of 
a man." — Rich's Koordistan, 

At Damascus, a drink made of liquorice is sold daily 
in the bazaars. 



EINE SCENERY NEATl THE PASS OE THE TIGRIS. 

" The scenery along the banks of the Tigris is in some 
parts very beautiful. Near the remarkable spot called 
■ The Pass of the Tigris,' where steep cliffs descend into 
the river, ' our surprise and pleasure may be imagined, 5 
writes Mr. Ainsworth, c at finding extended before us a 
considerable expanse of well-wooded gardens, which 
stretched from the hills down to the water-side, and for 
about two miles up the river's course.' 

" Nothing could exceed the rich luxuriance of these 
groves and orchards ; there were open spaces here and 
there for maize, melon, gourd, and cucumber ; but other- 
wise, the groves of plum, apricot, and peach, appeared 
almost inaccessible from the dense lower growth of fig- 
trees and pomegranates ; themselves, again, half hid 
beneath clustering vines. 

" Overlooking this scene of vegetative splendour, and 
upon the side of the hill, were the ruins of a castellated 
building, the battlemented walls and irregularly dis- 
persed square towers of which, still remain. This 
building covered a considerable space. Traces of out- 
works and of buildings connected with it were also 
quite evident, stretching downwards to the gardens. 

" On two mounds not far distant from each other, and 
close to the river, are the ruins of two other smaller 
castles, of similar characters to the larger one, only with 
double battlements, and consequently rising more loftily 
from the deep green groves, in the midst of which they 
are situated. It would appear, from the great quantity 
of ruins in every direction, that this spot, overgrown 
with fruit-trees, was once the site of a town, but pro- 



60 



NINEVEH, 



bably built in the style common in the East, every house 
having its garden. The gardens are watered by a rivulet, 
which flows from a narrow and rocky glen. 

" In the midst of this picturesque scenery, a cottage 
now and then peeped into view from a dense foliage, 
which secreted it like a nest, while an occasional mill 
announced itself by its noise . . . Higher up the glen was 
a small village, many of the houses of which were hewn 
out of rock, and some of them out of fallen masses, which 
often stood erect at the foot of the cliffs like great 
obelisks with a doorway in front." — Aixsworth's Asia 
Minor. 

"Leaving the Euphrates to the West, we proceeded 
up the Tigris, where we soon found ourselves in a cur- 
rent running between six and seven knots an hour, which 
fully proved to us the appropriate name of Teer. (arrow,) 
which the ancient Persians gave to this river, on account 
of the rapidity of its course." — Keppel's Narrative. 



NINEVEH. 



Gl 




NINEVEH. 



UTTER RUIN OE NINEVEH — MOUNDS OF KOYUNJUK AND NEBBI YUNUS— 
EULEILMENT OE PROPHECY— MOUNDS OE YARUMJAH— RUINS OE 
NIMROD. 

SCRIPTURE NOTICES. 

" Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded 
Nineveh." — Genesis x. 11. 

"Sennacherib, king of Assyria, departed, and went 
and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh. And it came to 
pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch 
his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote 
him with the sword." — 2 Kings xix. 36. 

"The word of the Lord came unto Jonah, the son 
of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great 
city, and cry against it ? for their wickedness is come 
up before me." — Jonah i. 1, 2. 



62 



NINEVEH. 



" Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three 
days' journey. And Jonah began to enter the city a 
day's journey : and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, 
and Xineveh shall be overthrown. So the people of 
Xineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put 
on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least 
of them/' — Jonah iii. 3 — 5. 

" Then said the Lord . . . Should not I spare Xineveh, 
that great city, wherein are more than six score thousand 
persons that cannot discern between their right hand and 
their left hand; and also much cattle f 1 — Jonah iv. 10, 1 1. 

u The burden of Xineveh" — XaJium i. 1. — (Read whole 
chapter.) 

" All they that look upon thee shall flee from thee, 
and say, Xineveh is laid waste." — Nahum iii. 7. — (See 
the whole book of the prophet Xahum.) 

u (He) will make Xineveh a desolation, and dry like 
a wilderness. And flocks shall lie down in the midst of 
her, all the beasts of the nations : both the cormorant 
(pelican) and the bittern shall lodge in the upper 
lintels of it ; their voice shall sing in the windows ; 
desolation shall be in the thresholds : for he shall un- 
cover the cedar work. This is the rejoicing city that 
dwelt carelessly, that said in her heart, I am, and there 
is none beside me : how is she become a desolation, a 
place for beasts to lie down in ! every one that passeth 
by her shall hiss, and wag his hand." — Zephaniah. 
ii. 13—15. 

" The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this 
generation, and shall condemn it ; because they repented 
at the preaching of Jonas ; and behold, a greater than 
Jonas is here." — JIatt. xii. 41. 



" On the left bank of the river Tigris, and directly 
opposite to Mosul, are the ruins of Xineveh, that great 
city, which now, it is well known, from the reports of 
a number of travellers, present only a long continuation 
of mounds, with some of a larger size that are isolated, 



NINEVEH. 



63 



and others upon which are modern buildings and houses ; 
yet so plain and distinct are these on the level extent of 
the Assyrian plain, that in looking down from the roof 
of our house at Mosul, Nineveh always lay extended 
before us like a map. 

" The name of Nineveh signifies the residence of Ninus, 
perhaps its founder, but the whole history of this great 
city is probably inexplicably obscure. We have vague 
accounts in profane writers of its size and splendour, and 
positive testimony to the same effect in the Bible, yet we 
only know, that after at least one previous overthrow, it 
was desolated about 600 B.C. upon the subversion of the 
Assyrian empire, by the rebellion of its provincial 
governors. From that time the casual notices of 
historians and travellers, with but little exception, 
relate only to its fallen state. 

" Benjamin of Tudela, who wrote in the twelfth century, 
says, that in that time there was only a bridge between 
Mosul and Nineveh, that the latter was laid waste, but 
had still many streets : probably the streets of the 
village of Nebbi Yunus. Abu-l-feda, writing in the 
fourteenth century, merely styles it, i the ruined city of 
Nineveh . . and Tavernier, in the seventeenth century, 
says, c Across the Tigris, which hath a swift stream and 
whitish water . . . you come to the ancient city 
Nineveh, which is now a heap of rubbish for a league 
along the river, full of vaults and caverns.' 

" I will now proceed briefly to describe the present 
condition of this renowned spot . . . Within the remains 
of the existing walls (which are constructed of earth 
and gravel), out of which large hewn stones are occa- 
sionally dug . . . are the remains of what appear to 
have been palaces, temples, and a citadel. The most 
remarkable of these is well known to travellers as the 
mound of Koyunjuk, (the little Lamb.) This is a vast 
mass of irregular form ... its sides are steep, and its 
top nearly flat ; it appears to be a mass of transported 
earth, and is decidedly of artificial origin. Coarse stone, 



94 



NIMROD. 



mortar, masonry, and floorings or pavements, are to be 
seen, and fine bricks or pottery are to be met with by 
research^ especially after rain. There are now but few 
houses on this great mound. The village of Koyunjuk, 
that formerly existed on this mound, was destroyed in 
1836, in which year the author first visited these ruins, 
immediately after the catastrophe, and the mound was 
then strewn with human bodies. 

" Kosrou Effendi, who is most excellent authority, 
tells me, that Bekir Effendi, when digging the stones to 
build the bridge of Mosul, found, on digging into the 
Koyunjuk, a sepulchral chamber in which was an in- 
scription ; and in the chamber, among rubbish and 
fragments of bone, the following articles : a woman's 
ankle bracelet, of silver, covered with a turquoise- 
coloured rust (with bells attached to it) ; a gold ankle 
bracelet j a child's ditto ; a bracelet of gold beads, quite 
perfect ; and some pieces of engraved agate. All these 
articles, and the chamber in which they were found, 
were seen and handled by Kosrou Effendi. The gold 
and silver were melted down immediately, the agates 
were thrown away, and the chamber broken up by the 
stones being taken out, and then buried in the rubbish." 
— Rich's Koordistan. 

The next great mound is that of ^Tebbi Yunus (the 
prophet Jonas). It supports a small village, and a 
sepulchral building, which is said to contain the remains 
of the prophet whose name it bears. This formerly 
belonged to the Christians, but is now in the possession of 
the Mahommedans, who also claim Jonah as a holy man. 

The river Khosar, which is about ten feet wide by 
two in depth in the spring season, enters the city by 
an aperture in the walls on the east side, which appears 
to have formed part of the original plan, and to have 
been protected by a gateway and walls, vestiges of which 
still remain. It is difficult to say what was the ancient 
course ofthe river ; at present it flows in a very devious 
manner through the precincts of the walls, turning a mill 



NINEVEH. 



G5 



in the heart of what was the city, and then washing the 
south base of the mound of Koyunjuk, before it again 
opens its way through ramparts so wide that once three 
chariots could be driven abreast upon them. 

The remarkable prophecy of Nahum, " The gates of 
the rivers shall be opened, and the palace shall be dis- 
solved," appears to be fulfilled to the letter. The pre- 
cincts included within the walls of Nineveh, are, where 
not occupied by habitations, roads, mounds, or river, 
everywhere cultivated. The mounds and walls also, in 
the early rains of spring, assume a green and cheerful 
appearance, but the flowers soon fade, the grass dries up, 
and the harvest is brought in at the latter end of May ; 
a few fields of cucumbers and melons remain, but except 
that all is buried in dry dust. It is then only that the 
words of Zephaniah appear in all their force. 

"The mound and ruins of Yarumjah are not far from 
Nineveh, and by some persons are considered to have 
formed part of that city. On its south side is situated 
the village of Yarumjah, called by the natives, the Pot- 
tery of Nineveh, from whence its present name. Remains 
of buildings, large stones, burnt bricks and tiles, are found 
there." — Ainsworth's Asia Minor, &c. 

When at Nineveh, Mr. Rich remarks : — 

" In this place I cannot help remarking a passage in 
Jonah. That prophet suffered grievously from the 
easterly wind ; this is the Sherki, so much dreaded in 
all these countries, which is hot, stormy, and singularly 
relaxing and dispiriting." — Rich's Koordistan. 

Ruins of Nineveh. — " We afterwards went to visit 
the ruins of Nineveh, and when beholding the large 
heaps of earth that cover the ruins of this mighty city, 
I could not but think on the striking fulfilment of pro - 
phecy respecting that city. Before my visit to this 
place, I read through the Book of Nahum, and upon 
inspecting some of the recent excavations, made under 
the superintendence of Mr. Ross, I found some parts of 
Nahum's prophecy most minutely accomplished. ' There 

F 



66 



NIMBOB. 



shall tlie fire devour thee/ says the prophet ; and from 
what I saw. there is no doubt that part of the city has 
been consumed by fire; and the gentleman alluded to 
also regrets that many of the sculptures have been de- 
stroyed and altogether effaced by fire." — Jewish Intelli- 
gence. 



BTTIXS OF NMRQD. 

" I was curious to inspect the ruins of Nimrod 1 . . . 
I therefore set off the first thing in the morning, on foot, 
accompanied by Mrs. Rich, the gentlemen, and a work- 
ing party to inspect them. We had a walk of forty- 
five minutes at a good hard pace, and my curiosity was 
amply gratified. The first objects that attracted our 
attention were a 'pyramidal mount at the north-west 
angle of a platform or flat mound. Traces of ruins, like 
those of a city, were to be seen to the north, a little way 
west, and to a great distance east. It is indeed difficult 
to assign their precise extent, the country all around has 
been so much ploughed up. I ascended the mount 
first, as there was a slight clearing up of the horizon, in 
order to establish its bearings from the distant objects, 
whose positions I already knew. 

" A ravine collects all the neighbouring drains, and 
pours into the Tigris, passing by and washing the south 
face. of the platform. It is sometimes very full of water, 
and scarcely passable ; but is now dry. All around is 
beautifully cultivated. xVbout a quarter of a mile from 
the west face of the platform is the large village of 
Nimrod, sometimes called Deraweish. 

" The Turks generally believe this to have been 
Mmrod's own city; and one or two of the better in- 
formed with whom I conversed at Mosul said it was 
Al Athur or Ashur, from which the whole country was 
denominated. It is curious that the villagers of Dera- 
1 About six caravan or four horseman's hours from Mosul. 



N1MR0D. 



67 



weish still consider Nimrod as their founder. The village 
story-tellers have a book they call the ' Kisseh Nimrod/ 
or Tales of Nimrod, with which they entertain the 
peasants on a winter night . . . All the country about 
is under complete cultivation, and the hills on the 
opposite side are also interspersed with villages \ but 
there are many mounds and ruins seen amongst them." 
— Rich's Koordistan. 

Many wonderful discoveries have lately been made at 
Nineveh and Nimrod, by Mr. Layard, who is about to 
publish the result of his researches. 

" Bagdad, Dec. 27 .—I took the opportunity while at 
Mosul of visiting the excavations of Nimrood. Mr. Layard, 
the gentleman who has been upwards of a year engaged 
in this task, and who has lately undertaken to continue 
it at the expense and for the advantage of the British 
Government, very kindly took me through the branches, 
and explained to me the nature and extent of his opera- 
tions. But before I attempt to give you a short account 
of these, I may as well say a few words as to the general 
impression which these wonderful remains made upon me 
on my first visit to them. I should begin by stating that 
they are all under ground, having been buried for centuries 
under a huge mound, called by the people of the country, 
Nimrood. To get at them Mr. Layard has excavated the 
earth to the depth of from twelve to fifteen feet, where he 
has come to a building composed of slabs of marble. In 
this place, which forms the north-western angle of the 
mound, he has fallen upon the interior of a large palace, 
consisting of a labyrinth of halls, chambers, and galleries, 
the walls of which are covered with bas-reliefs and 
inscriptions in the cruciform character, all in excellent 
preservation. The upper part of the walls, which were of 
brick, painted with flowers, &c, in the brightest colours, 
and the roofs, which were of wood, have fallen in; but 
fragments of them are strewed about in every direction. 
The time of day when I first descended into these cham- 
bers happened to be towards evening, the shades of which, 



68 



no doubt, added to the awe and mystery of the surrounding 
objects. It was of course with no little excitement that 
I suddenly found myself in the magnificent abode of the 
old Assyrian Kings ; where, moreover, it needed not the 
slightest effort of imagination to conjure up visions of 
their long-departed power and greatness. The walls 
themselves were crowded with the phantoms of the 
past; £ Three thousand years their cloudy wings ex- 
pand/ unfolding to view a vivid representation of those 
who conquered and possessed so large a portion of the 
earth we now inhabit. There they were, in the ori- 
ental pomp of richly embroidered robes and quaintly 
artificial coiffure. There also were portrayed their 
steeds in peace and war, their audiences, battles, sieges, 
lion-hunts, &e. Then, mingled with these, were other 
monstrous shapes — the old Assyrian deities.-with human 
bodies, long drooping wings, and the heads and beaks 
of eagles : or, still faithfully guarding the portals of 
these deserted halls, the colossal forms of winged lions 
and bulls, with gigantic human faces. All these figures, 
the idols of a religion long since dead, and buried like 
themselves, seemed actually in the twilight to be raising 
their desecrated heads from the sleep of centuries. 

"The mound of Nimrood is about eighteen miles distant 
from Mosul, close to which city, on the opposite bank of 
the Tigris, is another mound, which goes by the name of 
Nineveh. Now the claims of the former of these to be 
considered the site of ancient Nineveh is by more than 
one competent authority pronounced to be at least as 
good as that of the latter. Ximrood was the founder of 
the Assyrian empire; the traditions of all ages concur 
in stating this to have been his place of residence. Nay, 
more than this, the early Arab writers appear to have 
discovered another name for it, viz., xithur (the Ashur 
or Assyria of Scripture), of which, whether Xineveh 
or not, there is every probability of its having been the 
original capital. Finally, I am informed it is by no 
means impossible to reconcile the rival pretensions of 



NIMROD. 



09 



these mounds ; both of them may have been situated 
within the walls of Nineveh, which enclosed not only 
the houses of the city, but also many extensive parks 
(paradises, as they were called) and garden grounds, 
which, it should also be remembered, it took the Prophet 
Jonas three days to perambulate. These are points, 
however, which I must leave to archaeologists to decide, 
while I occupy myself once more with what fell under 
my own observation. The most remarkable of Mr. 
Layard's discoveries is a hall, or presence-chamber, 
150 feet long by 30 in breadth, the walls of which 
are covered with historical bas-reliefs, surrounded by 
inscriptions in the cruciform or arrow-headed cha- 
racter. The execution of the reliefs, though uneven, 
is, on the whole, highly spirited, and shows considerable 
taste and knowledge of composition ; where they are 
chiefly faulty is in the perspective. The delineation of 
the human form, as well as that of horses, lions, bulls, 
&c, though it be pervaded by a certain monotony, be- 
trays a previous study of anatomy. On the whole, it is 
evident that sculpture had made considerable progress 
among the early Assyrians ; nothing that has been dis- 
covered in Egypt can at all compare with these remains, 
which may even claim some relationship, and that per- 
haps not so very distant, with Grecian art itself. But, 
perhaps, after all, the value of those bas-reliefs, a selec- 
tion of which, I understand, has already been made and 
sent to England for the British Museum, consists, not so 
much in their merit as works of art, as in the evidence 
they afford, in the subjects delineated, of the cultivation 
and refinement to which this primeval people had arrived. 
The robes of the kings and other dignitaries are wrought 
with the most elaborate skill, and interwoven not only 
with fanciful figures, but the forms of men and animals : 
their weapons also are tastefully shaped and ornamented, 
their hilts being mounted for the most part with the 
heads of horses, lions, bulls, &c. The chair of state, in 
which the king is sometimes represented to be sitting, is 



70 



also remarkable for its lightness and elegance. Then their 
warlike instruments and engines prove that they were by 
no means behind the Greeks and Romans in the destruc- 
tive sciences, assault and battery having been quite as 
successfully cultivated at a much earlier period than is 
generally imagined. 

" All these bas-reliefs, I should not omit to state, were 
originally painted ; an embellishment which must have 
greatly heightened their effect • traces of colour are still 
to be found upon them, and some of the accessories of 
the figures, such as the sandals and bows, still preserve a 
deep red tint upon them. How remarkably all this .cor- 
responds with the description of the Prophet Ezekiel, 
(chap, xxiii. 14, 15) — ' men portrayed upon the wall, 
the images of the Chaldeans portrayed with vermilion. 
Girded with girdles upon their loins, exceeding in dyed 
attire upon their heads, all of them princes to look to, 
after the manner of the Babylonians of Chaldea, the land 
of their nativity.' 

" The appearance of these painted bas-reliefs must have 
undoubtedly been very fine and striking, and the light in 
which they were originally placed, and which there is 
every reason to presume was communicated from the 
roof, must have greatly contributed to their effect. Seen 
also, at night, by the light of lamps — ( cressets fed with 
naphtha or asphaltum 5 — these long galleries and richly- 
sculptured chambers must have been gorgeous and 
solemn beyond measure. The whole of these chambers 
and palaces, I should conceive, were embedded in the 
great mass of brickwork of which the mound is com- 
posed; other traces of external architecture are rare. 

" In addition to his first discoveries, Mr. Layard has 
recently fallen upon many detached objects of virtu, 
which, as illustrative of the manners and refined cultiva- 
tion of the Assyrians, are in themselves a source of the 
greatest interest, and tend, in connexion with the sculp- 
tures, to add greatly to the completeness of the collection, 
which, it is to be hoped, will be forwarded to Europe. 



NIMEOD. 



71 



Among these we may enumerate many images of lions in 
bronze, exhibiting extraordinary elegance and spirit in 
the design ; vases in alabaster, glass, and pottery ; brace- 
lets, necklaces, seals, armour, weapons, &c. But the most 
remarkable of these curiosities is undoubtedly a monu- 
ment, or obelisk of polished black marble, in itself a 
treasure, which, in the opinion of those acquainted with 
Assyrian antiquities, would more than repay all that 
has been expended on these excavations ; it is between 
seven and eight feet in height, and about two feet square 
at the base ; on the four sides are twenty bas-reliefs, 
which represent, it is probable, the conquest and subjec- 
tion, by an Assyrian monarch, of some distant people, 
inhabiting Africa or Hindostan ; for amongst the ob- 
jects of tribute brought to the king are the elephant, the 
rhinoceros, and various kind§ of monkeys. JSTo doubt, 
by the assistance of the cruciform inscriptions, amount- 
ing to more than 250 lines, by which the bas-reliefs are 
surrounded, the events commemorated may be satisfac- 
torily explained. • 

" After repeatedly changing his labourers, the worst 
of whom, sad to relate, were the Christians of Mosul, Mr. 
Layard had at length made up a body from a wandering 
Arab tribe called the Djebour. These were the men 
employed at the period of my visit, and certainly it was 
a curious sight to observe these children of the desert 
at their labour — to see them rushing to the sound of 
their accustomed war-cry to the trenches, waving their 
empty baskets wildly above their heads, or issuing forth 
again and capering in the same frantic manner beneath 
their baskets full The Arabs are certainly the most 
excitable race in existence, — they are the Irishmen of 
the Bast. I have seen a party of the workmen in ques- 
tion returning, after their day's labour, to their tents ; 
and who, having overtaken a flock of sheep, were imme- 
diately and simultaneously impressed with the idea that 
they were driving home a booty (an imaginary one, of 
course) which they had captured from the enemy, setting 



72 



KALAH SHERKAT. 



up at the same time a wild and appropriate chorus on 
the subject : the fiction was no doubt a pleasant one, 
and so loud and lively was their enthusiasm, that the 
shepherd must have had serious misgivings lest it should 
turn out to be something more than a friendly joke of 
theirs. But what amused me most was the superstition 
of these people — the terror or delight with which, 
according to their beauty or deformity, they locked on 
the different sculptures that were dug up. Some of 
them they kissed most affectionately, and some they 
spat upon with horror. At the period when Mr. Layard 
discovered the colossal lions which guard the entrance of 
the great hall, the first thing that appeared above ground 
was the enormous human head of one of these monsters, 
at the sight of which the labourers setting up a shout of 
f Nimrood! Ximrood !' threw down their implements 
and fled in every direction. The report soon spread 
through the country that the mighty h unter himself had 
once more visited the earth, and multitudes flocked to 
the ground to witness the prodigy." — Extract from a 
Letter to the Editor of the "Morning Post" respecting 
the recent Discoveries at Nineveh and its Neighbourhood* 



KAXAH SHERKAT. 

" These wonderful remains are situate in the midst 
of a most beautiful meadow, well wooded, watered by a 
small tributary to the Tigris, washed by the noble river 
itself, and backed by (a) rocky range. 

" Although familiar with the great Babylonian and 
Chaldean mounds of Birs Nimrud, kc. the (extensive 
and lofty mound before us) filled me with wonder. 
Almost the entire depth of the mound was built of sun- 
burnt bricks ; and on the side of these lofty artificial 
cliffs numerous hawks and crows nestled in security, 



AL KOSfl. 



73 



while at their base was a deep sloping declivity of 
crumbled materials. There are also the remains of a 
wall built with large square-cut stones. 

" Bricks, pottery, and fragments of sepulchral urns 
lay embedded in the ruins. The side facing the river 
displayed to us some curious structures, viz. four round 
towers, well built, and fresh looking as if of yesterday. 
We found also bricks vitrified with bitumen, bricks with 
impressions of straws, &c. ; and painted pottery with 
colours still very perfect. 

" By the character of its remains, as well as by its 
position, the ruins of Kalah Sherkat identifies itself with 
the same period as that of the Assyrian cities of Nineveh 
and of Nimrod, on the same river." — See Ainsworth's 
Asia Minor. 



AL KOSH— WILD SCENERY— CHALDEAN CONVENT. 
SCEIPTURE NOTICE. 

" The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite." — 
IT ahum i. 1 . 

" North of Mosul and Nineveh, lies the town of Al 
Kosh, which is entirely inhabited by Chaldeans. It is 
situated a little way up the foot of a mountain ; and on 
the right of it, about a mile higher up, in a rocky defile 
or opening in the mountains, was the Chaldean con- 
vent of Babban Hormuzd, whither we were journey- 
ing, and which from this spot wore a most imposing 
appearance. Nothing was clearly distinguishable but 
a heavy square building of a dusky-red colour, hanging 
quite over a precipice. The dark clouds rolled over 
the summit of the mountain almost down to the con- 
vent, and greatly increased the gloominess of its aspect 
and its apparent height. We seemed to be retreating 



74 



AL KOSH. 



from the world, and entering on some wild and untried 
state of existence, when we found ourselves in the rocky 
strait by which it is approached. The situation ap- 
peared to be well chosen for devotion, but devotion of a 
savage and gloomy character. The hills gradually rose 
very soon after the slope had terminated. An immense 
torrent, now dry, had brought down prodigious frag- 
ments of rock. Keeping along its edge, we reached the 
entrance of the defile, along a rocky and rough road. 
This defile expands and scoops out the mountain into a 
kind of wild amphitheatre, in which, not half-way up, 
the convent is situated. 

" It was only the latter part of the road which was very 
steep. The red building we had seen from afar was 
part of a church, or rather churches, there being several 
together. All the amphitheatre, from the top to the 
bottom, is full of little caves and grottoes \ those near 
the church and extending up the rock far above it, 
being appropriated to the use of the monks, of whom 
there are fifty, only four or five of whom are priests. 
Each monk has a separate cell, and the communications 
between them are by little terraces. The rocks are 
craggy and broken, and of fine harmonious tints. 

" We arrived at half-past eleven : we were accom- 
modated in rather an airy lodging, in a kind of sacristy 
or chapel adjoining the church. Our people established 
themselves as well as they could in the surrounding 
caves, and the horses we sent back to the village. 

" In the afternoon I went to vespers. The monks are 
dusky-looking men, clothed in the coarsest manner, like 
peasants, but more sombre in their colours ; their gown 
being of a dark blue or black canvas, with a common Abba 
or Arab cloak of brown woollen over it. On their heads 
they wear a small skull-cap of brown felt, with a black 
handkerchief tied round it. They are of all trades — 
weavers, tailors, smiths, carpenters, and masons ; so that 
the wants of the convent are entirely supplied by the 
convent itself ; their wants are, indeed, very few, the 



AL KOSH. 



75 



order being that of St. Anthony, and very rigorous in its 
observances. The monks never eat meat, except at Christ- 
mas and Easter. The daily food is some boiled wheat 
and bread, and even this in small quantities. Wine and 
spirits are altogether prohibited, and none but the trea- 
surer is allowed to touch money. 

" The monks live separately and alone in their cells, 
when not employed at their work, and are forbidden to 
talk to one another. A bell summons them to church 
several times a-day, besides which, they meet in the church 
at midnight for prayer, again at daybreak, and at sun- 
set, when they each retire to their cells without fire or 
candle. Some of these cells are far from the others, in 
very lonely situations, high up the mountains in steep 
places, and look difficult to get at by day ; how much 
more so in dark and stormy nights ! They are sur- 
rounded by wild plundering tribes of Koords, who 
might come down and murder them in their different 
retreats, without their cries for help being heard ; but 
their poverty preserves them from such attacks. There 
were several young men among them, who had retired 
here, being, as they told us, weary of the world, and 
hoping to find rest in this solitude, and acceptance with 
God, through religious exercises of a painful and morti- 
fying nature. They did not look either happy or 
healthy; and we were told they die young. 

" Alkosh was the birth-place of the prophet 1ST ahum, 
and also his burial-place. His tomb is still shown 
there, and Jews from all parts come on pilgrimage to it. 
Nahum was of a Jewish family, who resided at Alkosh 
during the captivity of Nineveh. On referring, indeed, 
to the Book of Nahum, I find Kahum the Elkosh-ite in 
the first verse ; and I wonder this never struck me 
before, especially as I read the Book of Kahum but 
lately, when thinking over the subject of Nineveh. I 
must here remark, that the Jews are generally to be 
trusted for local antiquities. Their pilgrimage to a spot 
is almost a sufficient test. The unbroken line of tradi- 



76 



AL HADHR. 



tion which may have been handed down among them, 
and their pertinacious resistance of all innovation, espe- 
cially in matters of religious belief, render their testi- 
mony very weighty in such matters." — Rich's Koordistari. 



AL HAD HE. 

REMARKABLE RUINS — INSCRIPTION. 

" The ruins of Al Hadhr are situate in the' midst of 
the deepest solitude in the desert, about twenty-four hours' 
march from Mosul. The only appearance of life about 
them is found in the Arab tents and flocks which 
surround the walls, and the former of which are also 
pitched within the ruins. The principal remains appear 
to have formed at once a palace and temple, and consist 
of chambers, or halls, guard-houses, columns, &c. all 
inclosed within a wall. 

" Every stone is marked with a character, and some 
are sculptured with figures of men, women, faces, 
serpents, monsters, &c. A remarkable inscription has 
been thus translated by a Jewish Rabbi, and appears to 
be the lament of some Jews of the captivity. " In 
justice to thee who art our salvation, I hope from thee, 
God, for help against mine enemies.' 

" In former times the Mosul people used once a-year 
to send a caravan to the vicinity of Al Hadhr for salt, 
with a strong escort, but this has been discontinued for 
some time on account of the increased danger ; and the 
Bedouins themselves now bring the salt to Mosul." — 
See Rich's Koordistari. 



HOLWAN. 



77 



HOLWAN, CALAH, OE HALAH. (SAR-PULLZOHAB.) 

JEWISH TRADITIONS— INTERESTING ANTIQUITIES. 
SCRIPTURE NOTICES. 

" Asshur . . . builded Calah." — Gen. x. 11. 

" And the king of Assyria did carry away Israel unto 
Assyria, and put them in Halah and in Habor by the 
river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes : because 
they obeyed not the voice of the Lord their God." — 
2 Kings xviii. 11, 12. 

[2 Kings xvii. 6 ; 1 Chron. v. 26.] 

The site of Holwan, one of the eight primeval cities 
of the world, was at Sar-Puli-Zohab, distant about 
eight miles south of the modern town of Zohab, and 
situated on the high road conducting from Bagdad to 
Kirmanshab. This is the Calah of Asshur, and the 
Halah of the Israelitish captivity. The region along 
the skirts of Mount Zagros was sometimes adjudged to 
Media, and sometimes to Assyria; and we are thus able 
to explain the dominion of Shalmaneser, the Assyrian 
king, over the cities of Media. In the third century, 
this place was indifferently called by the Syrian 
Christians, who established a bishopric there, Caleb, 
Halah, and Hoi wan, and some of the Christian Arabs in 
their histories, directly translate the Halah of the 
captivity by Holwan. Jewish traditions abound in this 
part of the country. The Kalhur tribe, who are believed 
to have inhabited, from the remotest antiquity, these 
regions, preserve in their name the title of Calah. They 
state themselves to be descended from Nebuchadnezzar, 
the conqueror of the Jews ; perhaps an obscure tradition 
of their real origin, which may possibly be from the 
Samaritan captives ; they have many Jewish names 
among them, and, above all, their general physiognomy 
is strongly indicative of an Israelitish descent. 

A narrow gorge, through which flows the river of 



78 



HOLWAN. 



Holwan, forms a sort of gigantic portal to the city. 
Here, upon either side of the river, are tablets sculptured 
on the rock; the execution is most rude, and they are 
now nearly obliterated . . . There is also a well-executed 
representation on the rock ; of a victor king trampling 
on a captive monarch, and other figures of captives are 
represented naked, and kneeling in the background. 

The other antiquities of Holwan consist of a ruined 
wall, a palace, or fire-temple, at the foot of which issues 
a sulphureous spring, and avast assemblage of mounds, 
which appear to mark the site of the principal edifices 
of the city. One of these is full 50 feet in height, and 
in several places around it brickwork is exposed to view, 
of the peculiar character of the Babylonian building. 
Apparently beyond the limits of the city are the remains 
of an edifice, which I believe to have been a fire-temple 
of the Magi : a hot spring issues from the foot of a 
mound adjoining it. But the most curious monument 
of Holwan is found about two miles distant from the 
sculptures that I have already described, — this is a royal 
sepulchre excavated in the rock . . . the tomb appears 
to have been forcibly broken in . . . Upon the smooth 
face of the rock, below the cave, is an unfinished tablet, 
representing a high-priest of the Magi, clothed in his 
pontifical robes ; there is a vacant space in the tablet, 
apparently intended for the fire altar, which we usually 
see sculptured before the priest. This tomb is named 
David's Shop ; for the Jewish monarch is believed to 
follow the calling of a smith, and is really supposed to 
dwell here, though invisible. The broken shafts are 
called his anvils, and a part of the tomb which is divided 
off by a low partition, is said to be a reservoir to con- 
tain the water which he uses to temper his metal. I 
never passed by the tomb without seeing the remains of 
a bleeding sacrifice ; and the pilgrims, who regard the 
smithy as a place of extreme sanctity, prostrate them- 
selves on the ground, and make the most profound 
reverence as soon as they come in sight of the spot. 



HOLWAN. 



79 



Holwan was long a great and populous town : but at 
length sank beneath the exterminating hand of war, 
never to be again inhabited. The river of Holwan rises 
in the Gorge of Rijab, on the western face of Mount 
Zagros, about twenty miles east of the town of Zohab. 
It bursts in a full stream from its source, and is swollen 
by many copious streams as it pursues its way down 
this romantic glen. The defile of Rijab is one of the 
most beautiful spots I have seen in the East ; it is in 
general very narrow, closed in on either side by a line 
of tremendous precipices, and filled from one end to the 
other with gardens and orchards, through which the 
stream tears its foaming way with the most impetuous 
force until it emerges into the plain below. The village 
of Eijab, containing about 100 houses, is situated in a 
little nook above the stream, where the glen widens 
into something like a bay. The peaches and figs of its 
gardens are celebrated throughout Persia ; hence the 
saying that " the figs of Holwan are not to be equalled 
in the whole world" — Abridged from Major Eawlinson's 
Notes in the Geographical Journal, 

At Zarnah, a village due south of Holwan, in the 
plain of I wan, and about two miles distant from the 
right bank of the river Gangir, are found the ruins of a 
large city, which Major Rawlinson conjectures to have 
been the Hara of the captivity, mentioned in 1 Chron. 
v. 26. Benjamin of Tudela found here 20,000 families 
of Jews. 

The plain of I wan is extensive, and plentifully 
watered by the Gangir. 



80 



PLAINS OF SHINAR. 



PLAINS OF SHIN AH, OR BABYLONIA. 

MARSHES OF LEMLU^, 
SCRIPTURE NOTICE. 

u They found a plain in the land of Shinar : and they 
dwelt there." — Genesis xi. 2. 



The land of Shinar, to which the children of Noah 
came after the Deluge, is the same with Babylonia, on 
the alluvial plains of the Euphrates and the Tigris. 
This territory was afterwards called the land of the 
Chaldeans, in Scripture, to which the children of Judah 
were carried captive. 

Cush, the father of Nirnrod, is the same with the Bel 
of the Babylonians. 

The plain of Babylonia is bounded on the south by 
the marshes of Lemlun. The soil of these marshes 
consists, for the most part, of a soft alluvial clay and 
mud : the greater part of the basin is, however, occupied 
by water, or by marshes of reeds and rushes. These 
marshes feed large flocks of buffaloes, and the mud that 
is not covered by vegetation, or which is dried by the 
summer heat, becomes during the season clothed with 
luxuriant crops of rice. The wild and robber in- 
habitants of these districts are celebrated for their fine 
forms, and are descendants of a Persian race. They 
live in reed huts, temporarily erected on isolated dry 
spots, like islets in a wilderness of waters ; but these are 
very frequently flooded, and it is no uncommon thing to 
see the children swing in cradles attached to the roof, 
while the waters are flowing through the arched cottage 
in an uninterrupted stream. 



BABEL, OR BABYLON. 



81 




BABEL, OE BABYLON. 

ANCIENT CITY — PRESENT APPEARANCE OE BABYLON — RUINS THE 

PALACE— MUJELIBE — BIRS NIMROD — TOWER OE BABEL OR BELUS 
— HTLLAH AND THE EUPHRATES — BABYLONIAN ANTIQUITIES — 
ANCIENT RUINS AT AL-HHEIMAR. 

SCRIPTURE NOTICES. 

" And the whole earth was of one language, and of 
one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed 
from the east, that they found a plain in the land of 
Shinar ; and they dwelt there. And they said one to 
another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them 
throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime 
had they for morter. And they said, Go to, let us 
build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto 

a 



82 



BABYLON. 



heaven \ and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered 
abroad upon the face of the whole earth. And the 
Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which 
the children of men builded. And the Lord said, 
Behold, the people is one, and they have all one 
language ; and this they begin to do : and now nothing 
will be restrained from them, which they have imagined 
to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their 
language, that they may not understand one another's 
speech. So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence 
upon the face of all the earth : and they left off to build 
the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel ; 
because the Lord did there confound the lano-ua^e of all 
the earth : and from thence did the Lord scatter them 
abroad upon the face of all the earth.'' — Genesis xi. 1 — 9. 

" By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down ; yea 
we wept, when we remembered Zion " — Psalm cxxxvii. 1. 

"And Babylon, 1 the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of 
the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God over- 
threw Sodom and Gomorrah. It shall never be inhabited, 
neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to gene- 
ration : neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there ; 
neither shall the shepherds make their fold there. But 
wild beasts of the desert shall lie there ; and their 
houses shall be full of doleful creatures ; and owls shall 
dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there. And the 
wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate 
houses^ and dragons in their pleasant palaces : and her 
time is near to come, and her days shall not be pro- 
longed." — Isaiah xiii. 19 — 22. 

" For I will rise up against them, saith the Lord of 
hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant, 
and son, and nephew, saith the Lord. I will also make 
it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water : and 
I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the 
Lord of hosts." — Isaiah xiv. 22, 23. 

1 Tor a minute account of the fulfilment of prophecy, in the destruction 
of Baoylon, the reader is referred to Keith's " Evidence of Prophecy." 



BABYLON. 



83 



" Babylon is fallen, is fallen ; and all the graven 
images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground." — 
Isaiah xxi. 9. 

" Come down, and sit in the dust, virgin daughter 
of Babylon, sit on the ground : there is no throne, 
daughter of the Chaldeans : for thou shalt no more 
be called tender and delicate. Take the millstones, and 
grind meal : uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, un- 
cover the thigh, pass over the rivers ... Sit thou silent, 
and get thee into darkness, daughter of the Chal- 
deans : for thou shalt no more be called, The lady of 
kingdoms." — Isaiah xlvii. 1, 2, 5. 

" Declare ye among the nations, and publish, and 
set up a standard ; publish, and conceal not : say, 
Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded, Merodach is broken 
in pieces ; her idols are confounded, her images are 
broken in pieces . . . Because of the wrath of the Lord 
it shall not be inhabited, but it shall be wholly desolate : 
every one that goeth by Babylon shall be astonished, 
and hiss at all her plagues. Put yourselves in array 
against Babylon round about : all ye that bend the 
bow, shoot at her, spare no arrows : for she hath sinned 
against the Lord. Shout against her round about : she 
hath given her hand : her foundations are fallen, her 
walls are thrown down : for it is the vengeance of the 
Lord : take vengeance upon her ; as she hath done, do 
unto her ... A sword is upon the Chaldeans, saith the 
Lord, and upon the inhabitants of Babylon, and upon 
her princes, and upon her wise men .... A drought is 
upon her waters ; and they shall be dried up : for it is 
the land of graven images, and they are mad upon their 
idols. Therefore the wild beasts of the desert, with the 
wild beasts of the islands, shall dwell there, and the 
owls shall dwell therein : and it shall be no more 
inhabited for ever : neither shall it be dwelt in from 
generation to generation. As God overthrew Sodom 
and Gomorrah, and the neighbour cities thereof, saith 
the Lord ; so shall no man abide there, neither shall 



84 



BABYLON. 



any son of man dwell therein." — Jer. L 2, 13, 14, 15, 
35, 38 — 40. (Eead whole chapter.) 

" Make bright the arrows ; gather the shields : the 
Lord hath raised np the spirit of the kings of the Medes : 
for his device is against Babylon, to destroy it ; because 
it is the vengeance of the Lord, the vengeance of his 
temple ... thou that dwellest upon many waters, 
abundant in treasures, thine end is come, and the 
measure of thy covetousness . . . One post shall run to 
meet another, and one messenger to meet another, 
to show the king of Babylon that his city is taken 
at one end, and that the passages are stopped, and 
the reeds they have burned with fire, and the men 
of war are affrighted . . . And Babylon shall become 
heaps, a dwelling-place for dragons, an astonishment, 
and an hissing, without an inhabitant . . . Thus saith 
the Lord of hosts, The broad walls of Babylon shall be 
utterly broken, and her high gates shall be burned with 
fire ; and the people shall labour in vain, and the folk 
in the fire, and they shall be weary." — Jer. li. 11, 13, 
31, 32, 37, 58. (Bead whole chapter.) [2 Ghron. 
xxxiii. 11. Ezra i. 11 ; ii. 1.] 



ATsCIEXT BABYLON. 

The first mention we find in history of Babylon, or 
Babel, is in the Bible, where the beginning of Nimrod's 
kingdom is said to have been Babel, and Erech, and 
Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. 1 This is sup- 
posed to have been about 2,300 years before Christ, or 
about 1,300 years from the Creation. 

It is surely worthy to be observed, that little further 
notice is taken of this great city in the sacred volume, 
until the time of its connexion with the Jewish people, 
when our attention is directed towards its guilt and 
punishment. Of so little importance in the eyes of the 
1 Gen. x. 10. 



BABYLON. 



85 



Almighty are wealth and grandeur of cities, and so sure 
is their doom, if they mingle wickedness with their 
greatness ! The queen Seniiramis, famous in ancient 
story, raised an embankment to confine the river Eu- 
phrates, which before overspread the level country about 
Babylon, and this, with other works, such as the enlarg- 
ing and adorning of the city, has occasioned her being 
sometimes regarded as its founder. 

The city of Babylon stood on a large, fertile plain, 
surrounded by high walls, of immense thickness, built 
of bricks, cemented together with bitumen. A wide 
trench, full of water, surrounded the walls, within which 
stood the palaces, and hanging gardens, and the temple 
of Belus. 

Some ancient authors describe the walls of Babylon 
as being drawn round the city in the form of a square ; 
and that twenty-five handsome streets, each fifteen miles 
long, went in straight lines to the twenty-five gates, 
which were directly over against them, on the opposite 
sides, so that the whole number of the streets was fifty, 
whereof twenty-five went one way and twenty-five the 
other, directly crossing each other at right angles. And 
besides these there were also four half streets, which had 
houses only on one side, and the wall on the other ; 
these went round the four sides of the city next the 
walls, and were each of them 200 feet broad. By these 
streets thus crossing each other, the whole city is de- 
scribed as cut out into 676 squares, round which stood 
handsome houses. The middle of each square was laid 
out in gardens. There were two royal palaces, in one of 
which were the famous hanging gardens, which consisted 
of several large terraces, one above another, till the 
height equalled the walls of the city. The ascent was 
by wide stairs from terrace to terrace, and the whole pile 
was sustained by arches. Trees, plants, and flowers, 
adorned the terraces, and in the upper one was a kind of 
pump, by which water was drawn up out of the river 
for watering the gardens. 



86 



BABYLON. 



The temple of Belus was a square structure of im- 
mense size, enclosing a succession of towers raised one 
upon the other, a large temple crowning the summit. 
In a smaller edifice was an immense golden statue of 
Jupiter. Wonderful works in the way of canals, lakes, 
quays. &c 3 were constructed to turn the course of the 
river, so as to prevent its ever destroying the city. 

Semiramis raised the banks of the Euphrates to an 
amazing height and thickness, and dug a reservoir in the 
marshy ground above Babylon, of such depth as to 
drain it. 

The luxury and wealth of the Babylonians corre- 
sponded with the splendour of Babylon. The lands, 
well watered by canals, and artificial means, yielded corn 
and wheat of prodigious size. 

To this great and prosperous people were announced 
the judgments of the Lord ; and in fulfilment of the 
prophetic word, Cyrus was sent as the executor of the 
Divine vengeance, to take Babylon and to massacre its 
inhabitants. His victorious soldiers are said to have 
been more eager for blood than plunder. Darius fol- 
lowed up the same work of desolation, and destroyed 
the outer walls of the city, besides putting 3,000 of her 
chief citizens to death. Xerxes laid hands on the 
massive golden statue in the temple of Belus, and caused 
the temple itself to be destroyed. 

Alexander the Great, who desired to restore Babylon, 
endeavoured to rebuild this splendid edifice, but the 
mass of rubbish under which it lay buried was so enor- 
mous, that Strabo says it would have taken 10,000 men 
two months to clear it away. 

Alexander was ambitious to rebuild the temple on a 
more magnificent scale than the former one, and was 
eagerly assisted by all but the Jews, who refused to aid 
in such a work. But still it went on slowly ; and the 
conqueror, on his return from India, hastened to Baby- 
lon with his army, with the view of making the soldiers 
help in the undertaking. But Alexander had come back 



BABYLON. 



87 



to Babylon, not to revive her greatness, but himself to 
die. Indeed, he may be said to have been her final de- 
stroyer j for it was he who broke down the innermost, or 
sole surviving wall of the city, which Darius had spared. 
So unchangeable are the purposes of J ehovah ! So 
vain is it for foolish man to try to thwart them ! By 
Alexander the remaining prophecies were completely 
accomplished, and Babylon the Great, the lady of king- 
doms, was finally ruined and destroyed. 

When Demetrius Poliorcetes took possession of Babylon, 
two fortresses were its sole defence ; and before his 
arrival its inhabitants had been driven into the desert 
by Patroclus, a general of Seleucus. Seleucus Nicator, 
Alexander's successor in this portion of his empire, 
abandoned Babylon, and built Seleucia, where he and 
his successors fixed their court. A succession of misfor- 
tunes, of which the plague was the last, befel the devoted 
city, till at length, in the striking words quoted by the 
historian Strabo, " The great city (became) a great 
desert." Thenceforth Babylon is only mentioned as a 
destroyed and ruined spot. Its canals being filled up, 
the soil was again but a marsh, infested by serpents and 
scorpions, and doleful creatures. The remains of Babylon 
are situated above the modern village of Hillah, and with 
difficulty the traveller now arrives at them ; the whole 
territory is a desert, caravans pass through it no longer, 
commerce is carried on by means of the Tigris, from 
Bagdad to Bassora, and the words of the prophet are 
fulfilled to the letter, " Her cities are a desolation, a dry 
land, and a wilderness ; a land where no man dwelleth, 
neither doth any man pass thereby." — See Rich's if emoir. 



PRESENT APPEARANCE OE BABYLON. 

" The road was covered on every side with irregular 
hillocks and mounds, formed over masses of ruin, pre- 



88 



BABYLON. 



senting at every step memorials of the past. In fact, 
our way lay through the great mass of ruined heaps on 
the site of ' shrunken Babylon/ and I am perfectly 
incapable of conveying an adequate idea of the dreary, 
lonely nakedness that appeared around me on enter- 
ing the gates of the once mighty metropolis, where 
the queen of nations sat enthroned : nor can I portray 
the overpowering sensation of reverential awe that pos- 
sessed my mind while contemplating the extent and 
magnitude of ruin and devastation on every side." — 
Mignan's Travels. 

" The whole country between Bagdad and Hillah is 
perfectly flat, and (with the exception of a few spots as 
you approach the latter place) uncultivated waste. That 
it was at some former period in a far different state, is 
evident from the number of canals by which it is tra- 
versed, now dry and neglected, and the quantity of heaps 
of earth, covered with fragments of brick and broken 
tiles, which are seen in every direction — the indisputable 
traces of former population. At present, the only in- 
habitants of this tract are the Zobeide Arabs." — Rich. 

A visitor to these ruins thus writes : — 

" On pacing over the loose stones and fragments of 
brickwork ... I naturally recurred to the time when 
these walls stood proudly in their original splendour — 
when the halls were the scenes of festive magnificence ; 
and when they resounded to the voices of those whom 
death hath long since swept from the earth." 



RUINS OF BABYLON. 

The present remains of Babel, as the natives 1 call 
these ruins, consist chiefly of, 1st, a great range of mounds, 
called Amran (from Amran Ibn Ali, said to have been 
killed here, and to whom a small mosque is here erected). 

1 The Arabs call the ruins by a name which signifies " overturned/' or 
"turned topsy-turvy." 



BABYLON. 



89 



2cHy, Another eminence to tlie west, on the bank of the 
river, where funeral urns and bones have been found. 
3dly, A still greater range to the north, where is the ruin 
called Kasr, or the Palace, and also the remains of 
a canal and street. 4thly, The grand mound called 
Babel, or Mujelibe ; and 5thly, on the opposite side of 
the Euphrates, the wonderful ruin called Birs Nimrod, 
Tower of Nimrod, and which is now generally supposed 
to be the remains of the Tower of Belus. 




THE KASR, OR PALACE. 

The parts of this which are still remaining are as clean 
and perfect as if just built. All about it are walls, which 
appear as if overthrown by an earthquake. About a 
hundred yards from it is an old tree, believed by the 
people to have been there ever since the time of ancient 



90 



BABYLOX. 



Babylon. One half of the trunk is standing, and is 
about five feet in circumference. Though the body is 
decayed, the branches are still green and healthy, and 
droop like those of the willow. With the exception of 
one at Bussorah, there is no tree like it throughout Irak 
Arabia. The Arabs call it AtkeU. "This tree/' ob- 
serves Captain Mignan, " is of the greatest antiquity, and 




has been a superb tree : its trunk has been of great 
circumference : though now rugged and rifled, it still 
stands proudly up ; and although nearly worn away, 
has still sufficient strength to bear the burthen of its 
evergreen branches . . . The fluttering and rustling 
sound produced by the wind sweeping through (them) 
has an indescribably melancholy effect, and seems as if 
entreating the traveller to remain, and unite in mourn- 
ing over fallen grandeur." 



BABYLON". 



91 



" Not far from this tree, we saw indications of a statue, 
which had been imperfectly seen by Beauchamp and 
Kich. We set our men to work, and in two hours found 
a colossal piece of sculpture, in marble, representing 
a lion standing over a man, When Rich was here, the 
figure was entire ; but when we saw it, the head was 
gone. I would venture to suggest that this statue might 
have reference to Daniel in the lion's den. It is natural 
to suppose that so extraordinary a miracle would have 
been celebrated by the Babylonians, particularly as 
Daniel was afterwards governor of their city." — See 
Keppel's Travels. 




" The Kasr, or palace, is a mound of about 7 00 yards 
in length and breadth. Its moulded bricks, ornamented 
with inscriptions, and its glazed and coloured tiles, added 
to the sculptures that have been found there, speak of 
its importance, and have led to its being generally looked 
upon as the eastern, and the largest of the palaces of the 
Babylonian monarchs, renowned for its sloping gardens." 
— Ainswobth. 



02 



BABYLON. 



THE MUJELTBE. 

" This mound is composed of sun-dried bricks, 
cemented with clay mortar : between each layer of 
bricks is one of reeds. In walking, we stepped on 
several pieces of alabaster, and on a vitreous substance 
resembling glass. We saw great quantities of orna- 
mental and other kinds of pottery. There were vast 
numbers of entire kiln-burnt bricks, which were all 
fourteen inches square, and three thick. On many were 
inscribed those unknown characters, resembliDg arrow- 
heads, so remarkable in the ruins of Babylon and Perse- 
polis. The freshness of the inscriptions was astonishing, 
appearing to .have been recently stamped, instead of 
having stood the test of upwards of four thousand years. 

" The mound was full of large holes ; we entered some 
of them, and found them strewed with the carcases 
and skeletons of animals recently killed. The ordure of 
wild beasts was so strong, that prudence got the better 
of curiosity, for we had no doubt as to the savage nature 
of the inhabitants. Our guides, indeed, told us, that all 
the ruins abounded in lions and other wild beasts." — 
See Keppei/s Travels. 

"TThile we were exploring the cave, an enormous 
wild boar of a reddish colour started up from amongst 
the ruins. The prophecy of Isaiah, that Babylon should 
be inhabited by wild beasts, was fulfilled ... by the 
Parthians, (who) turned the city into a park, and stocked 
it with wild beasts for the purpose of hunting. Amongst 
these the wild boar is enumerated. 

" I went, with ten men with pickaxes and shovels, to 
make experiments on the Mujelibe : they dug into the 
heaps on the top, and found layers of burnt brick, with 
inscriptions laid in mortar. A kind of parapet of 
unburnt bricks appears to have surrounded the whole. . . 
I found some beams of the date-tree . , . In one hole I 
found some quills of a porcupine, which animal the 



BABYLON. 9 3 

natives eat. The man who accompanied me told me 
that in the desert to the west animals are found, the 
upper part of which resembles perfectly a man, and the 
lower parts a sheep — that the Arabs hunt them with 




THE MUJELLBS. 

greyhounds, and that, when they find themselves close 
pressed, they utter miserable cries, entreating for mercy, 
but that the hunters kill them, and eat their lower parts. 
He had, evidently, not the slightest doubt of the truth of 
this wonderful story. 1 

"In one of the passages which had been laid open 
here, had been found a great number of marble fragments, 

1 The belief of the existence of satyrs is by no means rare in this 
country. The Hebrew word thus translated in Isa. xiii. 21, is, literally, 
" the hairy ones." In Lev. xvii. 7, the word is used for devils, evil spirits. 
The present Jews understand it in this place as synonymous with demons. 
I know not why we introduced the word satyrs. 



94 



BABYLON. 



and a body enclosed in a case or coffin of mulberry wood. 
... I found a small point or spike of brass, wrought 
with some care. . . I left my people at work . . . and . . . 
they turned up several earthen pots, one of which had 
the remains of a fine white varnish on the outside. We 
found, on the top of the mound, several shells, a few bits 
of glass and mother-of-pearl, also several bricks which 
had been so much burnt that they had vitrified in some 
parts . . . 

" Last night, the men whom I had employed to dig in 
the grand mound came and informed me that they had 
discovered a skeleton in a coffin . . . The bones were 
astonishingly sound. They brought me, also, a brass 
bird, which seems to have been fixed to the coffin as an 
ornament ; besides this was another brass ornament, 
which must have been suspended to some part of the 
skeleton ... In digging a little further, we found the 
bones of a young child . . . These, with the bodies found 
before, seem to prove this place to have been a cemetery." 
— Rich's Memoir. 

" The sides of the ruin exhibit hollows, worn partly 
by the weather, but more generally formed by the Arabs, 
who are incessantly digging for bricks, and hunting for 
antiquities ... In these (holes) was an offensive smell, 
and the caves were strewed with the bones of sheep and 
goats, devoured most probably by the jackals, that resort 
thither in great numbers ; and thousands of bats and 
owls have filled many of these cavities. 

" The natives are very reluctant to follow the visitors 
into these dens, and dislike remaining near the ruins 
after sunset, from the fear of demons and evil spirits. 
There is danger of being stung by venomous reptiles, 
which are very numerous throughout the ruins." — 
Mignan's Travels in Chaldea, 



BABYLON, 



95 




BIES NIMKOD — TOWER OE BABEL OR BELUS. 

" The ruins of the tower at first sight present the 
appearance of a hill with a castle on the top ; the 
greater portion is covered with a light sandy soil, and it 
is only in ascending that the traveller discovers that he 
is walking on a vast heap of bricks . . . The mound is 
oblong „ . . on the top is that which looked like a castle 
in the distance ; it is a solid mass of bricks, which are 
of an excellent description, 1 laid in with a fine cement. 

1 Both sun-dried and furnace-burned bricks were used in the buildings 
of Babylon. The former, made with mud and chopped straw, and dried in 
the sun, were of course easily reduced in the course of time to their 
original materials, and formed immense heaps of dust and rubbish : the 
latter were taken away by the Arabs in large quantities for modern build- 
ings. — The slime mentioned in Genesis was probably the asphaltus, or bitu- 
men, with which Assyria abounds, and with which the buildings of Babylon 
were cemented. Layers of reeds were often placed between the courses of 
bricks. The long reeds now seen growing in many parts of the ruins are 
particularly noticed in Scripture ; indeed, they are said to have been so 



96 



BABYLON. 



At regular intervals, some bricks are omitted so as to 
leave square apertures through the mass . . . pieces of 
marble, stones, and broken bricks, lie scattered (about). 
The most curious of the fragments are several misshapen 
masses of brickwork, quite black . . . these have cer- 
tainly been subjected to some fierce heat, as they are 
completely molten — a strong presumption that fire was 
used in the destruction of the tower, which in parts 
resembles what the Scriptures prophesied it should be- 
come — a burnt mountain. In the denunciations respect- 
ing Babylon, fire is particularly mentioned as an agent 
against it . . . Wild beasts appeared to be numerous 
here . . . Mr. Lamb gave up his examination, from 
seeing an animal crouched in one of the square apertures. 
I saw another in a similar situation, and the large foot- 
print of a lion was so fresh that the beast must have 
stolen away on our approach. 

" From the summit we had a distinct view of the vast 
heaps which constitute all that now remains of ancient 
Babylon ; a more complete picture of desolation could 
not well be imagined. The eye wandered over a barren 
desert, in which the ruins were nearly the only indication 
that it had ever been inhabited. It was impossible to 
behold this scene and not to be reminded how exactly 
the predictions of Isaiah and Jeremiah have been fulfilled, 
even in the appearance Babylon was doomed to present : 
that she should ' never be inhabited that ' the Arabian 
should not pitch his tent there that she should ' become 
heaps that her cities should be 6 a desolation, a dry 
land, and a wilderness. 5 " — Keppel's Personal Narrative. 

" We proceeded to the Birs Ximrod over a plain 

high, together with the mud on which they stood, as to have formed, as it 
were, another wall round the city. When Jeremiah foretold the fall of 
Babylon, he describes the enemy as burning the reeds with fire. 

The city of Babylon was surrounded by low marshy ground, and de- 
fended by canals cut from the river Euphrates, so that the reeds which 
grew in those places could not have been burnt unless the enemy had dried 
up the water passages, and so secured an easy entrance. This circumstance, 
then, would prove the hopeless condition of the city. 



BABYLON. 



97 



covered with nitre, at intervals crossing some dry canal 
beds, and small pools of water, and starting large flocks 
of bitterns." 

" The remains of this tower have been styled a i moun- 
tainous mass.' Though Babylon was seated in a low 
watery plain, yet it is by Jeremiah called a mountain, 
on account of its power and greatness, as well as of the 
vast height of its walls and towers, its palaces and tem- 
ples ; and Berosus, speaking of some of its buildings, 
says, they appeared most like mountains. 




- This tower-like ruin is pierced throughout with small 
square apertures, probably to preserve the fabric from 
the influence of damp . . . (In different parts) are several 
immense brown and black masses of brickwork, more or 
less changed into a vitrified state, looking at a distance 
like so many edifices torn up from their foundations . . . 

i Isa. xiv. 23. 
II 



9S 



BABYLON. 



Previous to examination. I took them for masses of black 
rock . . . (they must have been) exposed to the fiercest 
fire, or scathed by lightning. 

" The whole summit and sides of this ruin are furrowed 
by the weather and by human violence into deep hollows 
and channels^ completely strewed with broken bricks, 
stones, glass, tile, large cakes of bitumen, and petrified 
and vitrified substances." — See Mignan's Chaldea, 

" I visited the Birs under circumstances peculiarly 
favourable to the grandeur of its effect. The morning 
was at first stormy, and threatened a severe fall of rain : 
but as we approached the object of our journey, the 
heavy clouds separating discovered the Birs frowning 
over the plain, and presenting the appearance of a cir- 
cular hill, crowned by a tower, with a high ridge extend- 
ing alone: the foot of it ... Just as we were within the 
proper distance, it burst at once upon our sight, in the 
midst of rolling masses of thick black clouds, partially 
obscured by that kind of haze, whose indistinctness is one 
great cause of sublimity, whilst a few strong catches of 
stormy light, thrown upon the desert in the back-ground, 
served to give some idea of the immense extent and 
dreary solitude of the wastes in which this venerable 
ruin stands. 

" An additional interest attaches itself to the sepulchre 
of Belus, from the probability of its identity with the 
tower which the descendants of Xoah, with Belus at their 
head, constructed in the plain of Shinar, the completion 
of which was prevented in so remarkable a manner. 
The expression in Genesis (xi. 4), ' may reach unto 
heaven,' is literally, k "and its top to the skies / and signi- 
fies that the building was to have a very elevated and 
conspicuous summit. Although the work was displeas- 
ing to Gocl, we are not told that it was wholly destroyed, 
or even injured, but merely that it was left unfinished — 
they left off to build the city. It is, therefore, most pro- 
bable, that its appearance, and the tradition concerning 
it, gave those who undertook the continuation of the 



BABYLONIAN ANTIQUITIES. 



99 



labour the idea of a monument in honour of Belus.' 1 — See 
Rich's Memoir. 

u Alas ! the glory of the Chaldees' excellency, the seat 
of the mighty emperors of Asia, the city that contained 
one million of inhabitants within its walls ! what is it % 
— A heap of ruins. The words of Isaiah are completely 
fulfilled. Wild animals, serpents, and owls are the only 
living things to be seen ! The Arabian pitches not his 
tent there. The Arabian tribes wander everywhere else, 
but the ruins of Babylon they hold in horror. They 
believe that genii dwell there : they take not their 
camels near the spot. Thus closely is the prophecy ac- 
complished ! With such an awful lesson before us, how 
can there be still an infidel in the world % We ought 
to humble ourselves in dust and ashes, before that God 
who gives such awful demonstrations of his hatred of sin, 
and the punishment which follows it. 

" It is difficult for many of you to ride on the hump 
of the camel and cross the desert to ascertain the fate of 
Babylon ; but I will tell you what I have seen. I have 
crossed the desert, and I can tell you that Babylon is no 
more ; not a human being, nor a shrub, are to be seen 
there ; but fearful wild birds and owls haunt her 
remains." — Voice from Lebanon. 



BABYLONIAN ANTIQUITIES. 

In digging for bricks to use in building, there have been 
found earthen vessels, idols of clay, a statue as large as 
life, and varnished bricks with figures upon them. — 
Square pillars or columns, cylinders of cornelian, opal, 
jasper, agate, chalcedony, sardonyx, and crystal, &c. : 
and also coins, (one of Alexander the Great,) engraved 
gems, highly finished vases, urns filled with ashes or 
bones, pottery, bronze figures of men and animals, &c. 

These various antiques contain specimens of the very 



100 



BABYLONIAN ANTIQUITIES; 



curious and primitive system of writing found only in the 
Babylonian monuments. 

" Amongst the ruins of Babylon, 6 in addition to the 
usual vestiges, are several broken alabaster vessels we 
remarked also great quantities of varnished tiles, the 
colours of which were remarkably fine. According to 
Diodorus, the walls and towers of the palace were covered 
with tiles of different colours, representing a grand 
hunting piece. In this were described a great variety of 
wild beasts : here was to be seen Semiramis on horse- 
back, brandishing a spear ; and near her, Xinus in the 
act of killiug a lion. The colours are said to have been 
laid in before the bricks were baked. To this mode of 
painting the prophet Ezekiel probably alluded." — 
(Ezekiel xxiii. 14, 15.) — See Keppel's Travels. 

" There are three kinds of cements discoverable in the 
ruins of Babylon ; bitumen, mortar, and clay. The 
Babylonians drew their supplies of bitumen from Heet, 
(anciently called Is,) a town situated on the Euphrates. 
The principal bitumen-pit has two sources, and is di- 
vided by a wall in the centre, on one side of which the 
bitumen bubbles up, and on the other, oil of naphtha ; 
for these two productions are always found in the same 
situation. These fountains are inexhaustible. The pas- 
sage in the eleventh chapter of Genesis, where it is said 
that the builders of the Tower of Babel had slime for 
mortar, should be rendered, had bitumen for cement." — 
Rich. 

" Heet, the ancient Is, has been celebrated from all 
antiquity for its never-failing fountains of bitumen, and 
they furnished the imperishable mortar of the Baby- 
lonian structures. They were visited by Alexander, by 
Trajan, and by Julian. They now only cover the gopher 
boats of the Euphrates, and the asphaltic coracles of the 
Tigris. There is, however, yet considerable trade in 
salt obtained by the evaporation of the waters." — 

AlXS WORTH. 



101 



HILLAIi AND THE EUPHRATES. 

" Hillah, with, the exception of a few huts, is situate on 
the west bank of the Euphrates . W e crossed the river b j 
a bridge of boats. Hillah was built in the twelfth century, 
out of the ruins of Babylon. It is enclosed within a mud 
wall, of mean appearance, but the bazaar is tolerably 
good . . . Near one of the gates of the town, we were shown 
the Mosque of the Sun. The town is surrounded by a 
number of gardens, which produce rice, dates, and grain. 
The soil is very productive ; but, as is natural under an 
extortionate government, it is but little cultivated. If 
anything could identify the modern inhabitants of 
Hillah, as the descendants of the ancient Babylonians, it 
would be their extreme profligacy, for which they are 
notorious, even amongst their immoral neighbours. The 
veranda of the house we occupied was paved with in- 
scribed Babylonian bricks. We amused ourselves in 
comparing them with others we had brought from 
the ruins." — See Keppel's Travels. 

" The air of Hillah is salubrious, and the soil ex- 
tremely fertile, producing great quantities of rice, dates, 
and grain of different kinds, though it is not cultivated 
to above half the degree of which it is susceptible. The 
grand cause of this fertility is the Euphrates, which 
rises at an earlier period than the Tigris ; in the middle 
of the winter it increases a little, but falls again soon 
after ; in March it again rises> and in the latter end of 
April is at its full, continuing so till the latter end of 
June. When at its height, it overflows the surrounding 
country, fills the canals, dry for its reception, without 
the slightest exertion of labour, and facilitates agriculture 
in a surprising degree. The ruins of Babylon are then 
inundated, so as to render many parts of them inacces- 
sible, by converting the valleys among them into mo- 
rasses. But the most remarkable inundation of the 
Euphrates is at Eelugiah, westward of Bagdad ; where, 



102 



HILLAH AND THE EUPHRATES. 



on breaking down the clyke which confines its waters 
within their proper channel, they flow over the country, 
and extend nearly to the banks of the Tigris, with a 
depth sufficient to render them navigable for rafts and 
flat-bottomed boats. At the moment I am now writing. 
(May 24:, 1812.) rafts laden with lime are brought on 
this inundation almost every day from Eelugiah to 
within a few hundred yards of the northern gate of 
Bagdad. The water of the Euphrates is esteemed more 
salubrious than that of the Tigris. I questioned the 
fishermen who ply on the river, and they all agreed, that 
bricks and other fragments of building are very com- 
monly found in it." — See Piich's Memoir. 

"I was much struck with the force and rapidity of 
the Euphrates at Hillah. Erorn the house in which I 
lodged, (about two furlongs from the bridge,) I could at 
nights distinctly hear the rushing of the water beneath 
the bridge. 

u Along the banks of the Euphrates in the neighbour- 
hood of Babylon, 'are several osiers, perhaps the very 
willows upon which the daughters of Israel hung their 
harps and wept.'" — Mignan's Travels. 

" Our boat was of a peculiar construction ; it was in 
shape like a large circular basket, the sides were of willow, 
covered over with bitumen, the bottom was laid with 
reeds. It had two men with paddles, one of whom 
pulled towards him, as the other pushed from him. 
This sort of boat is common to the Euphrates and 
Tigris, and is, probably, best adapted to the strong cur- 
rents common to these rivers. May not these boats be 
of the same kind as the ' vessels of the bulrushes upon 
the waters,' alluded to by Isaiah V — Keppei/s Travels. 

" The ferry-boats of the Euphrates do not possess very 
high claims for convenience. They resemble a great coal- 
scuttle with a fiat bottom, and the stern a little pointed. 
The steersmen are two in number, for the boat being at 
once steered and propelled by a long sweep like the tail 
of a fish, it requires two men to work it, and there are 



HILLAH AND THE EUPHRATES. 



103 



four more in front, occupied, with loud bursts of ex- 
clamation, and groans innumerable, in clumsily beating 
poor Euphrates with two awkward oars. In the interior, 
camels, horses, sheep, and men are huddled together, 
and the passengers are up to their ankles in water." — 
Ainsworth. 

" On the sixth of December, I bade adieu to Hillah 
and the majestic Euphrates. I could not but reflect 
that the masses of the most ancient capitals in Europe 
bore no comparison with the mighty ruins which still 
exist on its banks. From an elevated spot near the 
village of Mohawwil, I turned to take a parting glance 
at the tenantless and desolate metropolis. It was im- 
possible not to be reminded of the fulfilment of the 
predictions of Isaiah ; and I involuntarily ejaculated, in 
the words of that sublime and poetical book : — i Babylon, 
the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' 
excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and 
Gomorrah. It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it 
be dwelt in from generation to generation : neither shall 
the Arabian pitch his tent there ; neither shall the shep- 
herds make their fold there. But wild beasts of the 
desert shall lie there ; and their houses shall be full of 
doleful creatures ; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs 
shall dance there. And the wild beasts of the islands shall 
cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their plea- 
sant palaces.' 

" What a faithful picture of complete desolation is 
this ! — for it is common in these parts for shepherds to 
make use of ruined edifices to shelter their flocks in ; 
and it implies a great degree of solitude, when it is said, 
that the ruins of Babylon shall be fit for wild beasts only 
to resort to. How wonderful is the fulfilment of these 
predictions, and what a convincing argument of the 
truth and divinity of the Holy Scriptures ! 

" It was after sunset : I saw the sun sink behind the 
Mujelibe : and, again taking a long last look at the 
decaying remains of Babylon and her deserted shrines, 



104 



AL HHEIMAR DURA. 



obeyed, with infinite regret, the summons of my 
guides." — Mignan's Travels. 



ANCIENT RTJIXS AT AL HHEDIAR. 
Five or six miles to the east of Hillah is a curious 
ruin, called Al Hheimar. The base is a heap of rubbish, 
on the top of which is a mass of red brickwork. It is 
very steep at the base, and extremely difficult to get up. 
There are some beautifully constructed bricks amongst 
the ruins, containing inscriptions. The way to it from 
Hillah is over a perfectly flat country, except where in- 
terrupted by the endless traversings of old canal beds : 
some of which are of prodigious width, depth, and steep- 
ness, and very troublesome to pass. The last mile was 
covered with broken bricks, pottery, glass, and all the 
other usual relics of Babylonian ruins. 



DURA. 

SCRIPTURE NOTICE. 

" Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold 
... he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of 
Babylon." — Dan. iii. 1. 



" Not far from the city of Tekreet, on the left bank 
of the river Tigris, is a place called Imam Dour. ' It is 
a considerable town, with a few date- trees and a garden 
or two, and marked by a zirgaret, or place of pilgrimage, 
with a cone-like spire over it. Behind the town, at a 
little distance, is a very large ancient mount.' May 
there be any remains, in this place, of the Dura men- 
tioned in Daniel ? In the retreat of the Boman army 
from Ctesiphon, under Jovian, they are described as 
pitching their tents near the city of Dura." — See Rich's 
Koorclistan. 



ERECH — ACCAD, 



105 



ERECH. 
SCRIPTURE NOTICE. 

" The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and 
Erech : and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar." 
—Gen. x. 10. 

" Having communication with, the river Euphrates by 
(a) canal, are the great mounds of Erech, called Xrak,Xrka, 
and Seukerah, by the Arabs ; and sometimes ' the place 
of pebbles.' This interesting ruin, the Erech of Scrip- 
ture, is surrounded by almost perpetual marshes and 
inundations. On some of the mounds in these marshes, 
Messrs. Frazer and Ross found glazed earthen coffins, 
which confirms the assertion of Arrian, viz. that the 
monuments or tombs of the kings of Assyria were said 
to be placed among these marshes." 




ANCIENT RUIN, CALLED AKERKOUE, PERHAPS ACCAD. 

" I went with a party to see Akerkouf, or Nimrod's 
Tower, a ruin of very great antiquity, and very much 
of the same character as those of Babylon. It stands 



106 



CALNEH SELEUCIA. 



on the west side of the Tigris, about six miles 
from Bagdad. The general resemblance of it with the 
Birs Nirnrod struck me forcibly. Like that ruin, it 
has a mound of rubbish on the east side. The mass of 
building is of unburnt bricks, mixed up with chopped 
reeds, and layers of reeds between every fifth or sixth 
layer of bricks. Fragments of burnt bricks are found 
in the base. 

" The inhabitants of these parts are as fond of attri- 
buting every vestige of antiquity to Ximrod, as those of 
Egypt to Pharaoh." — Rich's Jlemoirs. 

Ains worth suggests the resemblance of the name 
Akerkouf, to the Accacl of Scripture. 




TAUK XESRA. 



CALNEH— (CTESIPHOX)— SELEUCIA. 
SCRIPTURE NOTICES. 

" The beginning of (Ximrod's) kingdom was . . . Cal- 
neh." — Gen. x. 10. 



CALNEH — SELEUCIA. 



107 



Is not Calno as Carchemish % " — Isa. x. 9. 
Pass ye unto Calneh, and see." — Amos vi. 2. 



" During the day, we passed an uninterrupted succes- 
sion of mounds, the remains of the once magnificent 
cities of Seleucia and Gtesiphon. At night, we came in 
sight of Tauk Kesra, (the remains of a palace at Gtesi- 
phon) an ancient arch, which we visited the following 
day. 

" March 20. — We landed first on the west bank of 
the river, on the site of the ancient Seleucia. Having 
to go some distance in search of a statue, and not being 
able to procure horses, we each hired a camel from 
amongst some which we found grazing on the banks • 
these animals had nothing on their backs but the 
common wooden frame, or pack-saddle for carrying 
burthens, and were totally unprovided with any con- 
venience for riding ; we guided them with a long stick, 
by striking their cheek on the opposite side to that 
which we wished them to go, I do not answer for my 
companions, some of whom were fastidious respecting 
their conveyance ; but for my own part, I thought the 
motion was not intolerable, nor so rough as to prevent 
me from writing legibly, while my beast was going his 
best walking- pace. 

" We reached the statue of which we were in search, 
after a ride of five miles, through a country strewed with 
fragments of ruined buildings. As far as the eye could 
reach, the horizon presented a broken line of mounds ; 
the only vegetation was a small prickly shrub, thinly 
scattered over the plain, and some patches of grass, 
where the water had lodged in pools, occupied by im- 
mense flocks of bitterns : so literally has the prophecy 
of Isaiah been fulfilled, respecting devoted Babylon, that 
it should be ' swept with the besom of destruction,' that 
it should be made ' a possession for the bittern and pools 
of water.' 



108 



CALNEH — SELEUCIA. 



" The statue was lying on the ground near the re- 
mains of some extensive buildings. It consisted of the 
lower portion of a figure in a sitting posture in long 
vestments, the form of which prove them to belong to a 
female. It is executed with considerable skill, particu- 
larly the ornamental part of the robe, and the feet, 
which are exceedingly well delineated. The figure is 
seated on a square stool, standing on a base ten inches 
thick, apparently for the purpose of fixing it in its 
place, as it is left rough : the upper portion is broken 
off. as it would seem from having fallen down from a 
height. This is indicated by the manner of the fracture, 
which is obliquely downwards, while the stone is rent 
throughout. The entire figure appears to consist of 
a block of compact granite, of great tenacity, as we found 
on making an unsuccessful attempt to break off a small 
portion from the fractured part. 

" We returned a different way from that which we 
came, but the same signs of building were apparent : 
the people who accompanied us on foot, picked up four 
copper coins, but they were so much corroded that they 
could not be made out. On our return we passed what 
appears to have been the west wall of the city, composed 
of sun-dried bricks, with layers of reeds. It is of great 
thickness, and in many places, notwithstanding its long 
exposure to the washing of the rains, upwards of twenty 
feet high. It stands about a mile from the present chan- 
nel of the river : the line of the southern wall can also 
be traced, and the remains of a mound running east. 
The water is encroaching in this direction, and has 
washed away the eastern wall, if such ever existed. 

"In the afternoon, we crossed over to the east bank 
near to the Tank (arch), which we went to examine, after 
having rested a couple of hours. It stands about half 
a mile from the river, the intervening space being 
entirely covered with brick mounds, which, in every 
direction, appeared to extend as far as we could see. We 
rode on asses, which we obtained on hire . . . The view 



CALNEH SELEUCIA. 109 

of the ruin far exceeded our expectations. Erom a 
scene of broken walls entirely devoid of ornament, we 
came suddenly in sight of this large and noble pile of 
building . . . The whole is built of well-made kiln-burnt 



WALL AT SELEUCIA. 

bricks, one foot square and three inches thick . . . The 
walls that support the arch are fifteen feet thick * 
four tiers of arches remain, diminishing in succession. 
Tradition asserts that the palace, when entire, was 
double its present height." 

" Seleucia stands prominent in the page of history, 
as having caused the final destruction of Babylon. On 
the death of Alexander the Great, which happened in 
the latter city as he was about to rebuild the Tower of 
Babel, his immediate successor in Asia, Seleucus Nicator, 
built Seleucia, for the avowed purpose of ruining Baby- 
lon. The spot selected, though now a desert, was at 
that time the most fertile of the East. Seleucia, which 
became the metropolis of Assyria, was formed on a Greek 
model, and received from the founder a free constitu- 



110 



KUTH, OR KUTHA. 



tion. Such attractions soon drew from the already 
exhausted Babylon its few remaining inhabitants, and 
the population of the new city increased so rapidly, that 
according to Pliny, it soon amounted to six hundred 
thousand. Seleucia continued to flourish for several 
centuries . . . Meanwhile Ctesiphon appears to have been 
a small town on the opposite bank . . . Seleucia suffered 
at the hands of the Parthians the same fate which she 
had inflicted on Babylon. Ctesiphon, in her turn, be- 
came a great and populous city, the capital of the king- 
dom . . . This city is by some supposed to be the site of 
Calneh, in the land of Shinar, mentioned in Genesis : and 
Pliny's placing Ctesiphon in Calonitis, favours the idea. 
Why not too the expression in the sixth chapter of 
Amos, applicable to this, £ Pass ye into Calneh and see.'" 

" Ctesiphon and Seleucia were subsequently united un- 
der the name of II Medayn, signifying two cities, which 
Kisra the Just adorned with many beautiful palaces, 
the principal of which was the Tauk, or arch, which I 
have described. 

" This palace was sacked by the Saracens, and im- 
mense wealth found within its walls." — See Keppel's 
Narrative. 

" It is said, that the Gospel was preached in Baby- 
lonia, Assyria, and Persia, by Mark, a disciple of Adoeus, 
one of the seventy disciples. Mark fixed his residence 
at Ctesiphon and Seleucia, and is called first Bishop of 
Seleucia ; which in this manner became the head of the 
Oriental Church." — See Rich's Koordistan. 



KITH, OR KUTHA. 
SCRIPTURE NOTICE. 

"The men of Cuth made Nergal." — 2 Kings xviii. 30. 

Dr. Hyde first obtained from antiquity the evidence 
of the former existence, in Babylonia, of a city by name 
Cush, or Kutha. The seat of the territory of Cush was 



BAGDAD. 



Ill 



in Babylonia, from -whence his posterity were translated 
into neighbouring Arabia, and thus the land, which was 
afterwards designated after Yarab, the son of Jocktan, 
was primarily called the land of Cush, afterwards that 
of Havilah, and, ultimately, Arabia. The great city, 
which bore the name of the patriarch, was situated near 
Babel ; there seem, indeed, to have been two places 
called Kutha, one near the Birs Nimrud, and the other 
on the canal named Kuthah, derived from the Euphrates. 
This Kutha was, in the time of Abulfecla, approached by 
a bridge, and was a Mohammedan city ornamented with 
mosques. The ruins appear, in the present day, to be 
represented by the mounds of Towibah, often considered 
as the north quarter of ancient Babylon. — See Ains- 
worth's Assyria, &c. 



BAGDAD. 

" Bagdad is a beautiful place, a perfectly Asiatic city. 
The bazaars are supplied with all kinds of merchandise 
and luxuries. The place is very thriving, the merchants 
are very rich, and live like princes, but in a quiet way 
... I was kindly received by the Secretary to the British 
residency there. He entertained me in his own house 
during my stay ; it is situated on the river Tigris : he 
has a bath in it, with all the usual comforts and luxu- 
ries." — Voice from Lebanon, pp. 164, 167. 

" The heat for about five months at Bagdad I hardly 
think is paralleled in any part of the world. Some con- 
ception of it may be formed, when I mention that, from 
April to October, the natives are obliged, during the heat 
of the day, to take refuge in cellars under ground, and at 
night to sleep on the roofs of their houses, the rooms of 
the house during that period being uninhabitable. The 
thermometer generally rises to 115° in a shady veranda ; 
and I have seen it as high as 120° in the middle of 
the day, and 110° at ten at night, when we suffered 
much inconvenience from a burning hot wind, smelling 
strong of sulphur." — Bach's Koordistan. 



CHAPTER III. 



PERSIA-MEDIA. 



Shusazn" the Palace. — Two cities named Susa, of which the most ancient 
is probably the Shnshan of Scripture — Interesting Remains at Susan— 
Susa on the Choaspes. now called Sus. 

Persepolis. 

AcHiiETHA. — Hamadan — Takliti-Soleiman — Inscriptions at Hamadan — 
Interesting Description of Takhti-Soleiman. 



113 



SHUSHAN THE PALACE. 
SCRIPTURE NOTICE. 

" I was at Shushan in the palace, which is in the 
province of Elam ; and I saw in a vision, and I was by 
the river of Ulai . . . And I heard a man's voice between 
the banks of Ulai, which called and said, i Gabriel, 
make this man to understand the vision.'" — Dan. viii. 
2, 16. (See whole book of Esther, for repeated men- 
tion of " Shushan the Palace ;" also Neh. i. 1.) 



There is reason to believe that in ancient times there 
were four cities successively the capitals of the province 
of Susiana, viz. Susan, or Susa, the Shustan or Shusan 
of Scripture, near the river Kuran, or Euloeus ; Sus, 
or Susa of the Greeks, at Sus, near the river Kerkhah, 
or Choaspes, and Shapur, and Shuster on the Kuran. 1 

Major Eawlinson writes :— 

" The most interesting spot perhaps even in all Persia, 
is the town of Susan, upon the banks of the Kuran ; 
here, also, are the ruins of a great city ... a sister 
capital of Ecbatana and Persepolis. The city of Susan 
was principally built upon the right bank of the Kuran. 
. . . Forming a semicircle from the river, and thus en- 
closing the city, is a range of steep and abrupt hills, 
through which there is no passage, either along the banks 
of the river or at other points. A once noble bridge, 
now almost destroyed, connects this impregnable position 
with a large mass of ruins on the left bank of the river, 
which are again bounded to the south by another range 
of hills, extending at both points to the precipitous 

1 Shapur is now to be found at the village of Shah-abad. It was once 
a great city, and tlie see of a bishop. It was watered by magnificent 
aqueducts, now employed in irrigating rice-fields. It sunk before the 
rising greatness of Shuster, which was built on the left bank of the Kuran, 
and was famous for stupendous water-works. There are many excavated 
chambers in the rocks at Shuster, which was nearly depopulated by the 
plague in 1832, and has never since recovered its importance. 

I 



114 



SHUSHAN THE PALACE. 



banks of the Kuran, and traversed by two solitary passes. 
On the right bank of the river, near the bridge, are said 
to be the remains of a magnificent palace • the ground 
all around is now planted with orchards, but the general 
design of the building is to be traced, and many pillars 
still remain entire. At a short distance from hence, to 
the north-east, and at the foot of the hills, is the tomb 
of Daniel, called the Greater Daniel, in contradistinction 
to the other tomb at Sus, or the Lesser Daniel. The 
building is said to be composed of massive blocks of 
white marble ; and a large reservoir, formed of the same 
materials, is in front of the tomb. This is fed by a 
small stream, which here descends from the hills, and it 
contains a vast quantity of sacred fish, that are regarded 
with the most superstitious attachment. On the left 
bank of the river, the principal ruin is a large fort, which 
probably was in ancient times the famous state-prison, 
in which the Sasanian monarchs confined their prisoners 
of distinction. 

a The very expression of Scripture, Shuskan the 
palace, would appear indicative of a distinction from 
some other city of the same name. Daniel was in the 
palace, yet he saw the vision on the borders of the Ulai, 
and heard the voice between the banks of the river. 
From the mound of Sus, the Kerkah is one mile and a 
half distant, but at Susan the river does actually lave 
the base of the great ruin. The ancient tomb of the 
Greater Daniel may be also taken into account. . . . The 
city of Susa, on the Choaspes, (was for long) a great and 
flourishing capital, and it naturally therefore attracted 
to itself the traditions which really applied to the more 
ancient city on the Euloeus. . . . Thus, in the third cen- 
tury, the traditions regarding the prophet Daniel became 
naturalized in a foreign soil ; there is abundant evidence 
that the Syrian Church believed this city of Susa, where 
they instituted a bishopric, to have been the scene of the 
Divine revelations . . . (while upon the banks of the 
Euloeus, the ancient tomb has existed for so many cen- 



SHUSHAN THE PALACE. 



115 



turies, unnoticed, and perhaps unknown.) The city of 
Elymais, mentioned in the apocryphal book of Maccabees, 
which was attacked by Antiochus Epiphanes, Major 
Rawlinson believes to have been Susan • and the 
wealthy fire-temple which he sought to pillage, may 
probably be found in the ruins of a great building, upon 
the banks of the Kuran, a short distance below Susan." 
— See Major Rawlinson 's Notes in the Journal of the 
Geographical Society. 

Of Susa, or Sus, Major Rawlinson gives the following 
account : — 

" The great mound of Sus is of extraordinary height : 
it is strewed with broken pottery, glazed tiles, and kiln- 
dried bricks. Sepulchral urns, and a flooring of brick- 
work, have also been discovered in it. The ruins of the 
city are probably six or seven miles in circumference, 
and present the appearance of irregular mounds. The 
modern building, called the tomb of Daniel, is imme- 
diately below the great mound ; several bricks, brought 
from the ruins, are built into it ; in the court is pre- 
served a capital of white marble, brought from the great 
mound ; and outside, on the banks of the Shapur river, 
are found two blocks, one of which is sculptured with 
the figure of a man and two lions. This river rises 
about ten miles north of Sus ; it flows in a deep, narrow 
bed, by the tomb of Daniel, and laves the western face of 
the great mound. The ruins of Sus and the surround- 
ing country, are celebrated for their beautiful herbage ; 
it was difficult to ride along the Shapur, for the luxu- 
riant grass that clothed its banks ; and all around, the 
plain was covered with a carpet of the richest verdure. 
The climate, too, at this season, (March,) was singularly 
cool and pleasant, and I never remember to have passed 
a more delightful evening than in my little tent upon 
the summit of the great mound of Sus, alone, contem- 
plating the wrecks of time that were strewed around 
me, and indulging in the dreams of by-gone ages. 
Through a large telescope I obtained a view of some 



116 



PERSEPOLIS. 



very extensive ruins, known by the name of the Palace, 
situated about two miles from the right bank of the 
river Kerkhah, or Choaspes, and north-west of Sus. The 
great ruin appears to have been a palace ; there are also 
said to be a few mounds, and a canal cut in the rock, 
which conducted water from the Kerkhah to the city, is 
spoken of as a very extraordinary work. The ruins of a 
bridge, which crossed the river, are to be seen opposite to 
'the Palace ' — the broken buttresses now alone remaining 
above the water." 

The ancient high road from Susa led along the right 
bank of the Kerkhah. The " Bridge of the Chasm " is 
a most remarkable spot : the broad stream here forces 
its way through a narrow chasm, which a bold cragsman 
may spring across with ease ; the cleft is now about 
150 feet deep ; the sides are honeycombed in the most 
fantastic manner, as though the chasm had been gra- 
dually worn down in the rock by the action of the 
water; and the river boils and foams below in its narrow 
bed. A little arch has been thrown across the cleft, 
and forms a great thoroughfare for shepherds and their 
flocks. 



PERSEPOLIS. 

" The only name by which Persepolis is at present 
known by the Persians is the Forty Pillars, so called 
because of the pillars being very numerous, and resem- 
bling the minarets of mosques. It is very difficult, 
without being tedious, to give any detailed account of 
the ruins of this celebrated place. There is no great 
temple, as at Thebes, at Palmyra, or at Baalbeck, suffi- 
ciently predominant over all surrounding objects to 
attract the chief attention, and furnish of itself suffi- 
cient matter for description and admiration. Here, all 
is in broken and detached fragments, extremely nume- 
rous, and each worthy attention, but so scattered and 



ACHMETHA. 



117 



disjointed as to give no perfect idea of the whole. Its 
principal feature is, that it presents an assemblage of 
tall, slender, and isolated pillars, and separate doorways 
and sanctuaries, spread over a large platform, elevated 
like a fortification, from the level of the surrounding 
plain, the effect of which is increased by the mountains 
in the distance." 

This city is not mentioned in Scripture, but its con- 
quest by Antiochus is related in the Apocryphal book 
of Maccabees. 



ACHMETHA, OR ECBATANA. 
SCRIPTURE NOTICE. 

" There was found at Achmetha (or Ecbatana) a roll." 
— Ezra, .vi. 2 . (Read the whole passage.) 

Two great Median cities appear each to lay claim to 
be the Ecbatana, or Achmetha, where was the royal trea- 
sure-house of the kings of Babylon, in which Cyrus had 
deposited the decree relative to the rebuilding of the 
temple. One of these is the Modern Ramadan, at the 
foot of Mount Elwend, the ancient capital of Media 
Magna ; the other is the ruined city of Takhti Solei- 
man, or Shiz, anciently the capital of Media Atropa- 
tene, called also Gaza. 

Major Rawlinson, who has minutely investigated the 
subject, observes that it is often difficult to distinguish 
between these two cities. " To which of these two 
Ecbatanas is to be referred the remarkable passage in 
Ezra, is, I think, doubtful." 

The Hebrew word J chmetha, seems to have been the 
Chaldaic way of writing the Grecian Ecbatana, which 
appears to signify, " to guard, protect, or collect together;" 
and this title was applied to cities which contained a 
strong citadel for the protection of royal treasures. We 



118 



ACH3IETHA. 



have unquestionable evidence that in the two Median 
Ecbatanas were deposited the treasures of the king. 

Both these cities, also, were famous for their beautiful 
climate, and therefore honoured by the royal visits ; 
being delightfully cool during the summer months. 

We shall give a short account of each ; merely pre- 
mising that the usual opinion has hitherto been in favour 
of Hamadan, as the Ecbatana of Scripture. 

" We set out this morning at six, for Hamadan, having 
a high mountain to cross, and a long march before us. 
We reached the base of the Elwend, the ancient Mount 
Orontes. The ascent, which is very steep and cir- 
cuitous, occupied an hour, and proved very distressing 
to our cattle ; large masses of snow lay in ravines near 
the top in every direction, over which the wind blew 
painfully cold. The western face of the mountain was 
covered with aromatic shrubs, which wafted a delightful 
fragrance through the air. The descent on the eastern 
side is gradual, but the road is much broken by streams 
of water supplied by the melting of the snow. Near 
the base of the mountain we passed a caravanserai ; the 
centre was roofed in at the top, different from these 
buildings in general, and a very necessary protection 
against the severe cold in this mountainous region during 
the winter season. 

" Bands of robbers have at different times occupied 
the building, and converted into a place of molestation 
to the traveller what had been built for his protection. 
We passed a fountain at the bottom of the pass, which 
the muleteer informed us was a common post for robbers 
to waylay passengers. 

" The whole mountain to the summit was clothed with 
rich verdure, chiefly aromatic herbs of great variety, to 
gather which, people come from all quarters. After 
descending the mountain, we travelled along its base, 
crossing numerous rills, the waters of which assist in 
irrigating the fruitful valley of Hamadan. Two miles 
from Hamadan, we passed a considerable stream of 



ACHMETHA. 



119 



water, by a neat stone bridge. Near it were many 
marble tombstones, elegantly sculptured in flowers and 
inscriptions. Hence the road led through gardens sur- 
rounded by walls, extending to the town. Fragments 
of ancient 'buildings met our view as we entered upon 
the site of the once renowned capital of Media . . . 
(In the apartment where we lodged for the night was) 
a large chafing-dish, with a sparkling fire, in the centre 
of the room, round which we were glad to assemble ; 
for the evening was as cold as the day had been hot, and 
reminded us that this elevated spot had been selected, 
from the coolness of the atmosphere, as the summer 
residence of the Assyrian kings. 

" (One of our fellow-guests) was a king's chupper, or 
messenger, who had left Kermanshah only the morning 
before, and arrived a short time before us at this place — 
a journey of 120 miles — over a very mountainous country, 
on one horse. The next morning he mounted on the 
same animal, and resumed his journey to Teheran, 200 
miles distant, expecting to reach it on the second day. 
Till within these few years, the only communication 
between the capital of Persia and her provinces, was 
either by these mounted couriers, or by foot-messengers. 
A chupper seldom changes his horse ; some have been 
known to go from Teheran to Bushire, 700 miles, in 
ten days. 

" A Jewish Rabbi came to pay us a visit. He in- 
formed us that the number of his people amounted to 
400 houses. The tombs of Mordecai and Esther are 
cherished here, amidst their misery; and the expectation 
of the promised Messiah is the hope that enables them 
to sustain the load of oppression that would be other- 
wise insupportable. 

" Every circumstance connected with the state of the 
Jews of this place is of important interest. Ecbatana 
is mentioned in Scripture as one of the cities in which 
the Jews were placed at the time of their captivity, and 
it is possible that the present inhabitants may be the 



120 



INSCRIPTIONS AT HAM AD AX. 



descendants of the tribe who occupied the city under 
the Babylonian yoke. (The sufferings of the Jews, from 
the Mahometans in this place, are very affecting.)" — 
See Keppei/s Narrative. 



INSCRIPTIONS AT HAAIADAX. 

u Sir Robert Kerr Porter obtained the following trans- 
lations of the Hebrew inscriptions still existing in the 
tomb of Mordecai and Esther, at Hamadan. 

" Hebrew inscription on a marble slab in the sepulchre 
of Esther and Mordecai : — 

" ' Mordecai, beloved and honoured by a king, was great and good. His 
garments were as those of a sovereign. Ahasuerus covered him with this 
rich dress, and also placed a golden chain around his neck. The city of 
Susa rejoiced at his honours, and his high fortune became the glory of the 
Jews.' 

" Inscription encompassing the sarcophagus of Mor- 
decai : — 

" ' It is said by David, Preserve me, God ! I am now in thy presence. 
I have cried at the gate of heaven, that thou art my God ; and what good- 
ness I have received, came from thee, Lord ! ' 

" ' Those whose bodies are now beneath in this earth, when animated by 
thy mercy, were great; and whatever happiness was bestowed upon them 
in this world, came from thee, God ! 

" ' Their grief and sufferings were many at the first ; but they became 
happy, because they always called upon thy holy name in their misery. 
Thou liftedst me up, and I became powerful. Thine enemies sought to 
destroy me in the early times of my life ; but the shadow of thy hand was 
upon me, and covered me, as a tent, from their wicked purposes ! — 
Mordecai.' 

" Inscription around the sarcophagus of Esther the 
Queen : — 

" ' I praise thee. God, that thou hast created me ! I know that my 
sins merit punishment, yet I hope for mercy at thy hands, for, whenever I 
call upon thee, thou art with me : thy holy presence secures me from all 
evil. 

" 1 My heart is at ease, and my fear of thee increases. My life became, 
through thy goodness, at the last, full of peace. 

" £ God, do not shut my soul out from thy Divine presence. Those 
whom thou West never feel the torments of hell. Lead me, merciful 
lather, to the life of life ; that I may be rilled with the heavenly fruits of 
paradise ! — Esther. 5 " 



I 



121 

TAKHTI-SOLEIMAN. 

Of the ruins which Major Rawlinson considers mark 
the site of the other Ecbatana, he writes : — 

" I set out to visit the ruins of Takkti-Sole'iman . . . 
I crossed over a barren, stony hill, and ... on reaching 
the brow of the hill, had the satisfaction of seeing the 
ruins of the famous Takht in the valley at my feet. The 
first view of them is certainly striking. The (neigh- 
bouring) tract of country is called the plain of Takhti- 
Soleiman ; but this is to distinguish it from the moun- 
tainous regions that surround it ; for it is an undulating 
tract, intersected by many low ranges of hills, and does 
not at all answer what we expect from the term plain. 
Near the south-eastern extremity of the tract there is a 
narrow open valley, commanded by a projecting hill, on 
the summit of which are the remarkable ruins of the 
Takht. From a distance they present to view a grey, 
hoary mass of crumbling walls and buildings, encircling 
a small piece of water of the deepest azure, and bounded 
by a strong line of wall supported by numerous bastions 
. . . . The masonry (where perfect) is shown to be most 
excellent. The outer facing of the wall is composed of 
hewn blocks of stone, alternating with thin stones laid 
edgeways and perpendicular between them, and the 
whole fitted with extreme care and nicety . . . One 
gateway is quite perfect, and passing through it, I found 
myself within the precincts of the deserted city." 

Major Rawlinson considers that one of the ruins is 
that of an ancient fire-temple, one of the most holy places 
in Persia. 

In the spring and summer the neighbourhood of 
Takhti-Soleiman is represented as a perfect paradise. 
The country all around is carpeted with the richest 
verdure ; the climate is delightful, and myriads of wild 
flowers impregnate the air with fragrance : indeed, there 
is not considered a more delightful summer pasture in 
all Persia. The governor of Khamseh frequently makes 



122 TAKHTI-SOLEDIAX. 

it his summer residence ; and numerous flocks are seen 
grazing, during the hot weather, in the vicinity of the 
Takht. ' 

The common popular tradition regarding these ruins 
ascribes the foundation of the palace to King Solomon, 
who here held (say they) his regal court, and here 
received the Queen of Sheba, for whom he built a summer 
residence, on a high mountain peak north-east of the 
Takht, the ruins of which are still visible. A number of 
natural excavations on the hill opposite, are called 
Solomons Stables, and a small steep hill about a mile 
and a half distant, on scaling which the traveller finds 
himself on the brink of a most terrific basin, formed by 
some natural convulsion of the surrounding country, is 
named Solomons State Prison; while a rocky ridge, 
called the Dragon, is supposed to have been a monster 
transformed into stone by the potent spell of Solomon's 
signet ring, as he was coming, open mouthed, to attack 
the city. 

Such are the superstitions connected with Takhti 
Soleiman ; and they may possibly be accounted for; 
since Sir R Porter mentions having been told that a 
Kurdish king, bearing the name of Solomon, had once 
really reigned there. It may be well to mention here, 
that a third place, sometimes called Ecbatana, is the 
Ragau or Ullages of the Apocryphal book of Tobit, and 
the ruins of which are to be seen at KaF eh Erig, near 
Veramin, about thirty miles east of Teheran. 



CHAPTER IV. 



ARMENIA. 



Mount Ararat Journey towards Ararat — Passage of the River Araxes 

— Situation of Ararat — Greater and Lesser Ararat — Village of Arguri 
— Vineyards— Ascent of Ararat — Second Ascent — The Monastrey — 
Third and successful Ascent. 

The Top of Ararat— Partial Pall of Ararat in 1840. 



MOUNT AEAEAT. 



SCRIPTURE NOTICE. 

" The ark rested . . . upon the mountains of Ararat." — 
Gen. yiii. 4. 



JOTTE^EY TOTTAEDS AEAEAT.— PASSAGE OE THE EIYER 
AEAXES. 

" At four o'clock we had got to the left bank of the 
Araxes. and had to seek a passage through its rapid 
stream, "which is without either bridge or ferry for many 
leagues : nor has it even any approach from the plain, 
to show the place where it is to be forded ; . . . No one 
of our attendants was sufficiently acquainted with the 
locality to be depended on so far that we might risk our 
instruments in crossing ; we therefore made for some 
huts, which we discovered at a little distance, though 
almost concealed among some bushes ; but found the 



ARARAT. 



120 



inmates so little disposed to assist us, that we determined 
to run all risks. However, we met with a Tatar, poorly 
clad, and dirty in appearance, but who proved to be both 
intelligent and obliging, and who led us, about three 
quarters of a mile further on, to a place where the stream 
was broader, but more shallow, as its channel was partly 
filled with a wide accumulation of sand and stones. The 
Tatar here requested the loan of one of the horses, for 
the purpose of examining the ford, as the bottom was 
not to be depended on, from changes in the channel of 
the river. It was not till he had arrived at the other 
side that the thought occurred to me, how easy it would 
have been for him, had he been as treacherous as some 
others of his tribe, to ride off with the horse before our 
very eyes, and that without any danger of pursuit. But 
I dismissed the injurious suspicion ; the faithful Tatar 
returned, as soon as he had satisfied himself of the safety 
of the ford, and assisted us, with every appearance of 
anxiety, in loading our strongest horses with our effects, 
which we had taken from the waggons, lest these might 
be overturned ; and which we carried over in this 
manner, one horseman leading, and two others support- 
ing each of the loaded horses ; for the current was 
strong, and the water reached above their girths. We 
were all safely landed on the other side, with our 
baggage, in about an hour. We made suitable acknow- 
ledgments to our Tatar friend, and dismissed him, to 
escort one of our attendants back again to the left bank." 



SITUATION OE ARARAT-GREATER AND LESSER ARARAT. 

"Ararat has borne this name for three thousand 
years. We read, in the most ancient of all books, in the 
account of the creation left us by Moses, that ( the ark 
rested . . . upon the mountains of Ararat.' In other 
passages of the Old Testament mention is made of a 
land — in Jeremiah, of a kingdom, of Ararat ; and we are 



126 



ARARAT. 



likewise informed, by the first authority among Armenian 
writers, that an entire country bore this name, after an 
ancient Armenian king, Arai the Fair, who lived about 
1,750 years before Christ. He fell in a bloody battle 
with the Babylonians, on a plain in Armenia, called after 
him Arai-Arat, the Fall of Arai. Before this event the 
country bore the name of Amasia, from its sovereign, 
Amassis, the sixth in descent from Japhet, who gave the 
name of Massis to the mountain. This is still the only 
name by which it is known to the Armenians. 

" The mountain of Ararat rises on the southern 
borders of a plain of about thirty-five miles in breadth, 
and of a length of which seventy miles may be taken in 
with the eye. It consists, correctly speaking, of two 
mountains — the Great Ararat, and its immediate neigh- 
bour, the Less Ararat . . . their summits distant about 
seven miles from each other . . . and their bases insensibly 
melting into one another by the interposition of a wide, 
level valley . . . now used as pasture ground by the 
shepherds . . . 

" The summit of the Great Ararat (is) more than three 
miles and a quarter above the sea . . . The north-eastern 
slope of the mountain may be assumed at fourteen, and 
the north-western at twenty miles in length. On the 
former, even from a great distance, the deep, gloomy 
chasm is discoverable, which many compare to a crater $ 
but which has always struck me rather as a cleft, just as 
if the mountain had been rent asunder at the top. From 
the summit downward, for nearly . . . three miles in an 
oblique direction, it is covered with a crown of eternal 
snow and ice ... . 

" The impression made by Ararat upon the mind of 
every one who has any sensibility for the stupendous 
works of the Creator, is wonderful and overpowering." 



ARARAT. 



127 



VILLAGE OP ARGUM— VINEYARDS. 

" As the morning broke, we were gratified at behold- 
ing the summit of Ararat, towering in full distinctness 
and grandeur before us, in the south-west . . . The 
ground across which we travelled now . . . rose, at first 
imperceptibly, then more rapidly . . . and it soon be- 
came evident that we were now treading the base of the 
mighty mountain itself. Our path, for there was no 
road properly so called to guide us, soon became stony, 
and much steeper, so that the horses could scarcely get 
forward with the waggon ; and seeing that large masses 
of rocks were scattered in every direction about us, we 
were obliged to admit, that to advance any further in 
this way was impossible. We had directed our course 
for the Armenian village of Arguri, the only one upon 
mount Ararat. It contains about 175 families, with a 
well built church, a pastor of its own, and a village elder 
or chief, of respectable condition. All the houses are of 
stone, and, agreeably to eastern custom, have flat level 
roofs of mortar covered with clay, holes for the admission 
of air and light, instead of windows, and court-yards 
enclosed with stone walls. The inhabitants live by the 
breeding of cattle and horses, and from their corn, which, 
however, is not raised in the immediate vicinity, on 
account of the stony nature of the ground. The richer 
class have vineyards adjoining the village. 

" But the real treasure of this settlement, its very life- 
spring, is the little rivulet which has its source in one of 
the glaciers of Ararat, and finds a passage downwards, 
through the great chasm on its north-east side, to the 
village, which is situate on the level ground at its outlet. 

" Besides this, there is another rill of exceedingly fine 
drinking water, which springs out of the rocky side of 
the same chasm, a few hundred paces above the village. 
There it is caught in pipes, and conducted into stone 
troughs, for the use of the cattle, when they return from 



128 



ARARAT. 



the pastures, which are without a tree to shade thern 
from the scorching sun ; while a number of young persons 
are generally seen collected in the evening, with their 
pitchers, under the cool brow of the rock, drawing water. 
The temperature of the air about Arguri is much more 
genial than in the valley of the Araxes • for . . . the 
vicinity of the snows on Ararat, from which refreshing 
currents of air are constantly streaming, produces a 
general and decided effect in cooling and purifying the 
atmosphere. For this reason Arguri is often visited by 
persons of quality from Erivan. who make it their resi- 
dence during the hottest season of the year. 

" This is the place, according to tradition, where 
Noah, after he came out of the ark and went down 
from the mountain, with his sons, and all the living 
things that were with him, had f builded an altar unto 
the Lord, and took of every clean beast, and of every 
clean fowl, and offered burnt-offerings upon the altar.' 
The exact spot is alleged to be where the church now 
stands; and it is of the vineyards of Arguri that the 
Scriptures speak, when it is said, 6 And Xoak began to 
be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard.' It is a 
remarkable coincidence, that the building of the church 
must be referred to an unascertained, but still very re- 
mote date : and also, that the Armenian name of the 
village contains a distinct allusion to that occurrence ; 
Arghanel, in that language, means, to set, or plant, 
whence. argh 3 he planted \ and urri, the vine ; so that 
the tradition cannot be a modern fabrication, at all 
events. 

" It was near one of these hallowed vine plantations, 
but about three miles below Arguri, that we were 
brought to a halt, and obliged to deliberate upon measures 
for conveying our effects onwards in some other way than 
in waggons, as hitherto. This could only be effected by 
having recourse to the villagers . . . 

" 1 rode forward with Abovian, our interpreter, pulled 
up in an open part of the street, and requested the 



ARARAT. 



129 



village elder to be called. This person's name was 
Stepan Aga ; he directed that a small herd of fifteen or 
twenty oxen, that were feeding outside the village, 
should be despatched for our luggage, with ropes to 
secure it ; and he set out with me himself to the place 
where I had left my companions and our effects . . . 

" Stepan Aga gave us a friendly invitation into his 
vineyard, and seemed highly gratified when he saw us 
retire, from the heat of the sun, under the cool shade of 
its foliage, and quench our burning thirst, to our hearts' 
content, with the delicious grapes just ripening on 
Father Noah's vines . . . 

" With respect to the selection of my head-quarters 
on the mountain, my . . . friend . . . had spoken to me 
of a little Armenian monastery upon the northern slope 
of Ararat, higher up than the village of Arguri, called 
St. James's . . . The way thither leads through Arguri, 
the distance being about a mile and a half, and so our 
little caravan halted, under the outer walls of the 
monastery, towards evening, on the 11th of September. 
My first inquiry, on entering the court-yard, was for the 
pastor j he stood before me, a venerable old man, of tall 
stature, ... his head was grey, ... his beard was long, 
his eyes deeply set and large . . . (his) gown, of blue 
serge, with a pair of common slippers, and woollen Per- 
sian socks . . . After a survey of the shelter he had to 
afford us, we had our baggage unpacked and laid down, 
for the present, in the court." 



K 



130 



ARARAT. 




ASCENT OP ARARAT. 

" My anxious longing to approach nearer to the vene- 
rable head of the mountain, would not allow me to remain 
long idle in the quiet of the monastery . . . 

" On the 12th (24th) of September, at seven in the 
morning, I started on my way, attended by M. Schie- 
mann. We took with us one of the Kossaks, and a 
peasant from Arguri — a hunter, and directed our steps, 
first to the ravine, and then along its left declivity, till 
we came to a spot where there were two small buildings 
of squared stone, standing near each other, one of which 
was formerly a chapel, and the other erected over a well 
— reputed holy . . . The fountain which springs out of 
a rock, at this spot, affords a clear drinkable water . . . 
(which is very scarce on Mount Ararat). 



ARARAT. 



131 



" From this chapel, we ascended the grassy eminence 
which forms the right side of the chasm, and had to 
suffer much from the heat, insomuch that our Kossak 
declared he was ready to sink with fatigue, and it was 
necessary to send him back. About six in the evening, 
as we too were completely tired, and had approached 
close to the region of snow, we sought out a place for 
our night's lodging among the fragments of rock . . . 
Our bed was the hard rock, and the cold icy head of the 
mountain our only stone. In the sheltered places around, 
still lay some fresh snow; the temperature of the air 
was at the freezing point. M. Schiemann and myself 
had prepared ourselves tolerably well for this contingency, 
and our joy at the enterprise also helped to warm us, 
but our athletic Isaac, from Arguri, was quite dispirited 
with the cold, for he had nothing but his summer cloth- 
ing ; his neck and legs from the knee to the sandal were 
quite naked, and the only covering for his head was an 
old cloth, tied round it. I had neglected, at first start- 
ing, to give attention to his wardrobe ; it was, therefore, 
my duty to help him as far as I could ; and as we had 
ourselves no spare clothing, I wrapped him in some 
sheets of grey paper which I had brought with me 
for the purpose of drying plants : this answered him 
very well. 

" As soon as the darkness of night began to give way 
to the dawn, we continued our journey towards the 
eastern side of the mountain, and soon found ourselves on 
a slope which continues all the way down from . . . the 
very summit ... It is formed altogether of sharp angular 
ridges of rock, stretching downwards, and having con- 
siderable chasms between them, in which the icy cover- 
ing of the summit disappears, while forming glaciers of 
great extent. Several of these rocky ridges and chasms 
filled with ice lay between us and the side of the 
mountain which we were striving to reach ; we got 
successfully over the first ridge, as well as the beautiful 
glacier immediately succeeding it. When we arrived on 



132 



ARARAT. 



the top of the second ridge, Isaac lost the courage 
to proceed further : his limbs, frozen the preceding 
night, had not yet recovered their natural glow, and the 
icy region towards which he saw us rushing, in breath- 
less haste, seemed to him to hold out little hope of 
warmth and comfort : so, of our attendants, the one was 
obliged to stay behind from the heat, the other from the 
frost. M. Schiemann alone, though quite uninitiated 
in hardships of this kind, yet never lost the heart and 
spirit to stay at my side ; but with youthful vigour and 
manly endurance, he shared in all the fatigues and 
dangers which soon accumulated to an extraordinary 
extent . . . We crossed over the second glacier, which lay 
before us, and ascended the third ridge ; taking an 
oblique direction upwards, we reached, at the back of it 
. . . the lower edge of the ice, which continues without 
interruption from this point to the summit. JSow, then, 
the business was to mount this steep, covered with 
eternal winter. To do so in a direct line was a thing 
impossible for two human beings ... we therefore 
determined to go obliquely upwards on the slope, till we 
gained a long craggy ridge, which stretched a great way 
up towards the summit. This we succeeded in accom- 
plishing, by cutting with our staffs regular hollows in 
the ice, on which lay a thin coat of newly-fallen snow, 
too weak to give our footsteps the requisite firmness. 
In this way we at last got upon the ridge, and went 
along it, favoured by a deeper drift of the fresh snow 
directly towards the summit. Although it might have 
cost us great exertions, yet it is probable that on this 
occasion we could have reached, contrary to all expecta- 
tions, the lofty aim of our wishes ; but our day's labour 
had been severe ; and as it was three o'clock in the 
afternoon, it was time for us to consider where we should 
find a resting-place for the coming night. We had reached 
nearly the farthest end of the rocky ridge, and an elevation 
of 1 -5.4:00 feet above the sea, or about the elevation of the 
summit of Mont Blanc ; and yet the head of Ararat, dis- 



ARARAT. 



133 



tinctly marked out, rose to a considerable height above 
us. I do not believe that there existed any insuperable 
obstacle to our farther advance upwards ; but the few 
hours of daylight which still remained to us for climbing 
to the summit, would have been more than expended in 
accomplishing this object ; and there, on the top, we 
should not have found a rock to shelter us during the 
night, to say nothing of our scanty supply of food, which 
had not been calculated for so protracted an excursion. 
Satisfied with the result, ... we turned about, and im- 
mediately fell into a danger which we never dreamt of 
in ascending ; for while the footing is generally less sure 
in descending a mountain than in ascending it, at the 
same time it is extremely difficult to restrain one's self, 
and to tread with the requisite caution when looking 
from above upon such a uniform surface of ice and snow 
as spread from beneath our feet . . . and on which, if we 
happened to slip and fall, there was nothing to prevent 
our rapidly shooting downwards, except the angular 
fragments of rock which bounded the region of ice. 
The danger here lies more in want of habit than in real 
difficulty. The active spirit of my young friend, now 
engaged in his first mountain journey, and whose strength 
and courage were well able to cope with harder trials, 
was yet unable to withstand this : treading incautiously, 
he fell ; but, as he was twenty paces behind me, I had 
time to strike my staff before me in the ice as deep as it 
would go, to plant my foot firmly on my excellent 
many-pointed ice-shoe; and, while my right hand grasped 
the staff, to catch M. Schiemann with my left, as he 
was sliding by. My position was good, and resisted the 
impetus of his fall ; but the tie of the ice-shoe, although 
so strong that it appeared to be of a piece with the sole, 
gave way with the strain ; the straps were cut through 
as if with a knife, and, unable to support the double 
weight on the bare sole, I also fell. M. Schiemann, 
rolling against two stones, came to a stoppage, with 
little injury, sooner than myself ; the distance over 



134 



ARARAT. 



which I was hurried almost unconsciously, was little 
short of a quarter of a mile, and ended in the lava, not 
far from the border of the glacier. In this disaster the 
tube of my barometer was broken to pieces ; my chro- 
nometer was opened, and sprinkled with my blood ; the 
other things which I had in my pockets were flung out . . . 
as I rolled down ; but I was not myself seriously hurt. 
As soon as we had recovered from our first fright, and 
had thanked God for our preservation, we looked about 
for the most important of our scattered articles, and 
then resumed our journey down. We crossed a small 
glacier by cutting steps in it, and soon after, from the 
top of the ridge beyond it, we heard with joy the voice 
of our worthy Isaac, who had had the sagacity to look 
for. and await our return in this spot. In this company 
we had at least the satisfaction of passing the night in 
the region of grass, to the dry heaps of which, being 
always chilly, he set fire, in order to warm himself. On 
the third day, about ten o'clock in the morning, we 
reached our dear monastery, where we refreshed ourselves 
with juicy peaches and a good breakfast." 



SECOND ASCENT. 

" On the day after my return I had a smart attack of 
fever, probably the consequence of the violent agitation 
of mind and body which I had experienced during the 
descent ... I prescribed to myself a strict diet ; no meat, 
no fruit, no milk, merely plain tea ; and by way of 
medicine, garlic, eaten with salt, and a little bread. 
The fever returned no more ; I was recovered, and so 
now I made every preparation for the real attempt to 
reach the summit ; I hired attendants and beasts of 
burden, provided food, and got ready the inscription on 
a strong leaden plate, which I intended to take with me 
and to fasten on a cross, to be erected on the highest 



ARARAT. 



135 



point . . . On the morning of September 18, we were 
all ready to start . . . About half-past eight o'clock the 
train was in movement. It consisted of myself . . . (three 
friends,) four Armenian peasants from Arguri, three 
Russian soldiers, and a driver for the four oxen. A chief 
person in the expedition was the village elder already 
mentioned ; I readily followed the advice of this 
experienced man, to try the ascent of the summit this 
time from the north-west side of the mountain, where 
the way, though considerably longer than on the eastern 
declivity, is in general much less precipitous. After we 
had gone two-thirds of a mile on the left slope of the 
valley, we ascended, and went straight across the 
northern side in a westerly direction, without meeting 
with much difficulty, as the ground presented few 
inequalities, and there were paths fit for use which led 
over them. At first we found the ground covered with 
withered grass, and but few plants with verdure un- 
decayed. We then came into a tract covered with 
volcanic sand and a pumice-like shingle. . . . We came 
suddenly upon the stony region, which forms a broad 
zone round the mountain immediately below the limits 
of the perpetual snow, and consists wholly of angular 
fragments of dark-coloured volcanic rock, which, 
scattered in wild disorder, sometimes present the appear- 
ance of a rude wall, sometimes that of a craggy ridge, 
and are at times heaped together in a narrow chasm or 
the valley of a glacier. Here we found at our service a 
little path, beaten probably by the small herds of cattle 
which in the summer, when the herbage fails below, are 
obliged to seek their food on the remotest elevated parts 
of the mountain. This path led to a considerable 
plain well covered with grass. (Three of us) had brought 
(saddle-horses) from the monastery, and at first we made 
use of them ; but on arriving at the precipitous stony 
tract ... we perceived the necessity of sending them back 
... as they did not seem capable of enduring the hardship 
of travelling over such rough ground. Yet I saw with 



136 



ARARAT. 



astonishment the little Persian pony of (the Tillage elder) 
carry its tall master with unwearied strength and 
activity over the most difficult and dangerous places, 
and climb, without a slip, incredibly steep acclivities . . . 
It did us all good to be able to rest a little (on the plain 
we had reached) after an uninterrupted ascent of five 
hours . . . While our cattle found a hearty meal in the 
half green herbage, we recruited our strength with a 
simple, but invigorating repast, to which we were 
enabled to add soup, since the tract around us, being 
resorted to in summer for pasture, was thickly strewed 
with dry dung, which made excellent fuel. Directly 
over this plain the slope ... of Ararat rises very steeply, 
yet the ascent is here easy, the ground being sprinkled 
with soil, and not without herbage ; but on mounting 
a little higher, the desolate stony region recommences, 
not again to disappear till at the margin of the per- 
petual ice. In this way we arrived not far from (the 
plain) at a glacier of considerable extent, but which will 
soon be concealed from the eyes of the traveller, if the 
mountain continues to cover it, as at present, with lava, 
sand, and fragments of rock ; for even now the ice can 
be seen only at the deep cracks . . . About six in the 
evening ... I felt myself compelled t o determine on fixing 
our night's quarters among some large and conveniently 
placed masses of rock, since, as difficulties were increasing 
around us, it would hardly be possible to carry our 
slender supply of firewood higher up. The strong and 
patient oxen had carried their burdens up to this spot 
with incredible exertion, and many a crossing back and 
forward had they to make on the face of the acclivity, 
in order to follow us. Even the . . . horse had overcome 
all the obstacles presented by the rugged nature of the 
ground, and had borne his master to this great elevation. 
It was now the common lot of these poor animals, when 
freed from their loads, to be turned loose in a desert, 
where there was nothing to satisfy their hunger but the 
few herbs scattered over these heights, and to quench 



ARARAT. 



137 



their thirst, nothing but the hard snow of the neigh- 
bouring glacier : in truth, I pitied them. A little fire 
was made, but the air was cool, and the ground not 
warm. Sleep refused to visit me on this occasion j and 
in my heart I felt more of anxiety than of hope for the 
attainment of our object . . . The injuries which I had 
received on the 13 th were not yet quite cured, and 
a violent contusion on the left hip, received on that 
occasion, had pained me the whole way up ; the fever 
might have somewhat weakened me ; and in short, 
although in the course of the day's journey I was never 
last, and caused no delay, yet I felt that I wanted the 
strength and spirit which were required, in order that, 
on the following day, in ascending the difficult icy 
region, (I might take) the greatest share of the labour on 
myself. In the mean time, the night passed over, and 
at half-past seven in the morning we resumed our march, 
the thermometer being four degrees below freezing 
point. In about two hours we had reached the limits, 
properly so called, of the perpetual ice and snow. . . . 
The way up to that point from our night quarters was 
rendered extremely fatiguing by the steepness of some 
of the rocky tracts, which were passable only because, 
consisting of masses of rock piled one upon the other, 
they offered angles and edges for the hands and feet, 
but on that very account they threw impediments in the 
way of carrying up the great cross : in vain we tried to 
let two men bear the long beam ; as on ground where 
the choice of each step was confined to some particular 
spot, every movement of the one carrier embarrassed 
and endangered the other . . . and, besides, the beam was 
every moment knocking against something in the sharp 
turnings of our crooked path. Such, however, was the 
zeal of one of the Armenian peasants, that ... he heaved 
the long beam on his shoulders, drew the end of his 
frock from behind over it, holding this down with both 
hands, and with astonishing dexterity he bore his 
load over the rugged path. For an instant we halted 



138 



ARARAT, 



at the foot of the pyramid of snow, which before our 
eyes was projected with wondrous grandeur on the clear 
blue sky : we chose out such matters as could be dis- 
pensed with, and left them behind a rock ; then, serious 
and in silence ... we set foot upon that region which 
certainly since Noah's time no human being had ever 
trodden. At first the progress was easy, because the 
acclivity was not very steep, and besides it was covered 
with a layer of fresh snow on which it was easy to 
walk; the few cracks in the ice, also, which occurred, 
were of no great breadth, and could be easily stepped 
over. But this joy did not last long ; for . . . the steepness 
increased to such a degree, that we were no longer able 
to tread securely on the snow; but, in order to save 
ourselves from sliding down on the ice beneath it, we 
were obliged to have recourse to the cutting of steps 
. . . For this purpose some of us had brought little 
axes, some bill-hooks, while others made use of the 
ice-staff. The rule was, that the leader should only 
cut the ice just enough to allow himself to mount, and 
that each as he followed should enlarge the step ; and 
thus, while the labour of the foremost was lightened, a 
good path was prepared for the descent, wherein much 
firmer footing is required than in ascending. Through 
this proceeding our progress suffered much delay . . . 
It was necessary for us to turn a bold projection of 
the slope above us, and having come to it, we found . . . 
a deep crack in the ice, about five feet wide ... To our 
consolation, however, the drifted snow had in one place 
filled up the crevice tolerably well, so that we got safely 
over, a feat rendered somewhat difficult by the circum- 
stance that the edge of the ice which we wanted to 
reach was a good deal higher than that on which we 
were standing. As soon as we had got over this little 
trouble, and had ascended a very moderate slope, we 
found ourselves on a nearly horizontal plain of snow 
. . . We had, to judge from appearances, work for three 
hours, and there arose to our sorrow, a strong, humid 



ARARAT. 



139 



wind, which, as it gave us reason to expect a snow 
storm, damped our courage, and took from us all hope 
of reaching the summit. I made up my mind to erect 
the cross on this height . . . every one lending a hand to 
the work, and with pieces of ice and snow (it) was fixed 
firmly in (a) hole cut about two feet deep in the ice . . . 

" Impelled by a common feeling we turned once more 
towards the summit . . . but the watch which told us that 
it was mid-day, the sky where clouds were gathering, 
and our inadequate means for spending a night on the 
icy pinnacle, all plainly said No, to the thought of 
advancing. 

" We reached before night had fully set in, the plain 
where we had rested at noon on the way up ... a charm- 
ing spot to the weary, where we also found the horse, 
the oxen, and the drivers, for they had sagaciously de- 
termined on descending from the inhospitable rocks and 
glaciers among which we had left them, and rather to 
wait for us here. We also were glad to warm ourselves 
at a brisk fire, for we had hardly left the snowy region 
in our descent, when the whole tract over which we 
passed, nearly down to (the plain), was visited by a 
heavy fall of moist snow. Having taken our evening- 
repast, we each of us sought, under the large rocks scat- 
tered over this plain, shelter and lodging for the night ; 
and the following day, the 20th of September, about ten 
in the morning, we reached St. James" . . . 



THE MONASTERY. 

"(This Monastery) consists of a little church . . . 
entirely constructed with hewn stone of hard lava, (with) 
dwellings round . . . made with thick clay -walls, and 
covered in common with a perfectly flat roof of strong 
plaster, under which, in the middle of each apartment, 
is a prop ; the wooden support of the ceiling in our 
room answered well for the hooks whereon we hung our 



140 



ARARAT. 



clothes. This room was too narrow and dark for the 
numerous and important instruments which we had with 
us j they were placed in a pretty tent of sailcloth and white 
woollen, which was pitched in the middle of the court . . . 
Our furniture consisted of the blankets, pelisses, cloaks, 
and chests, brought with us. Our dinner table was a 
singular piece of basket-work, not quite so high as an 
ordinary stool ; it was too tottering for a work-table, so 
we preferred writing on the knee . . . Whoever did not 
like to eat standing, might seat himself on a big stone 
which lay there at his service ... To provide for our 
subsistence was not the least of our cares . . . there was 
no want of mutton . . . but far better flavoured and more 
nutritive was the flesh of wild hogs ... a large portion 
of which was salted . . . and dried fish was brought to us 
for purchase . . . The Armenians make use of a thin cake 
(for bread), spread out on a leathern cushion, (and) 
pressed against the side of the heated oven, (which is) 
a pit, wide at the bottom, narrow above, well coated 
with fine plaster, and heated with wood. Our whole 
kitchen apparatus consisted of two iron pots, and one 
pan, a pair of tinned dishes, with half a dozen plates 
tinned in like manner. Each of us had his silver spoon, 
his knife and fork, and also his glass" . . . 



THIRD AKD SUCCESSFUL ASCENT. THE TOP OE AEAEAT. 

" The sky cleared up, the wind lulled, the air was 
pure : on the mountain, too, there seemed to be more 
repose, and the thundering sound of falling ice and 
rocks was heard less frequently ; I hesitated not to seize 
this opportunity for my third attempt to ascend the 
summit ... I had three oxen only laden with some 
warm clothing, the requisite supply of food, and a small 
quantity of firewood. ... It was not quite noon when we 
reached (the plain) : we took our breakfast, and after 



ARARAT. 



141 



resting about an hour and a half, we set forward . . . the 
oxen, however, could not follow us so fast, and we deemed 
it advisable to make ourselves independent of such aid. 
We halted, therefore, at the base of a towering pile of 
stones, over which the poor animals could hardly have 
climbed ; we then freed them from their loads, which 
we distributed fairly among the party, so that each man 
carried his share of covering and fuel ; and this done, 
we sent back the oxen with their keeper. About half 
past five o'clock, we were close to the lower border of 
the snow, and had attained a height considerably above 
that of our former night quarters. The large masses of 
rock here scattered about, determined us in selecting 
this spot for our night's lodging. A fire was soon 
kindled, and something warm got ready for the stomach. 
For me, this repast consisted in onion soup, the use of 
which I can recommend to mountain travellers in such 
circumstances, as extremely warming and reviving. 

" It was a delicious evening which I spent here ; my 
eyes at one time set on my good-humoured companions, 
at another, on the clear sky on which the summit of 
the mountain was projected with wondrous grandeur ; 
and again, on the grey night, spreading in the distance, 
and in the depth beneath me ... I lay down to rest 
under a projecting rock of lava, while my companions 
still remained for a long time chattering round the fire. 
At the first dawn, we roused ourselves up, and about 
half-past six proceeded on our march. The last tracts 
of rocky fragments were crossed in about half an hour, 
and we once more trod on the limits of perpetual snow, 
nearly in the same place as before, having first lightened 
ourselves by depositing near some heaps of stones, such 
articles as we could dispense with. But the snowy 
regions had undergone a great, and for us, by no means 
favourable change. The newly fallen snow which had 
been of some use to us in our former attempt, had since 
melted from the increased heat of the weather, and was 
now changed into glacier ice, so that it would be neces- 



142 



ARARAT. 



sary to cut steps from below ; this made our progress a 
laborious affair, and demanded the full exertion of our 
strength from the first starting. We soon after came 
again to the great crack . . . and about ten o'clock, we 
found ourselves exactly in the place where we arrived 
on the former occasion at noon ; that is to say, on the great 
plain of snow which forms the first step downward from 
the icy head of Ararat ... In the direction of the summit, 
we had before us an acclivity shorter but steeper than 
that just passed over ; and between it and the furthest 
pinnacle there seemed to intervene only a gentle swelling 
of the ground. After a short rest, we ascended with the aid 
of hewn steps, the next slope (the steepest of all), and then 
another elevation ; but now, instead of seeing immediately 
in front of us the grand object of all our exertions, a whole 
row of hills had developed itself to our eyes, and com- 
pletely intercepted the view of the summit. At this, 
our spirits, which had never fluctuated so long as we 
supposed that we had a view of the difficulties to be 
surmounted, sank not a little, and our strength, exhausted 
by the hard work of cutting the steps in the ice, seemed 
hardly adequate to the attainment of the now invisible 
goal. Yet, on calculating what was already done, and 
what remained to be done . . . casting a glance at my 
hearty followers, care fled, and 6 boldly onwards' re- 
sounded in my bosom. We passed, without stopping, 
over a couple of hills • there we felt the mountain wind ; 
I pressed forward round a projecting mound of snow, 
and behold ! before my eyes, now intoxicated with joy, 
lay the extreme cone, the highest pinnacle of Ararat. 
Still, a last effort was required of us to ascend a tract of 
ice by means of steps ; and that accomplished, about a 
quarter past three, on the 27th September, 1829, we 

STOOD ON THE TOP OF ARARAT. 

" What I first aimed at and enjoyed, was rest ; I spread 
out my cloak and sat down on it. Formed of eternal 
ice, without rock or stone to interrupt its continuity, 
(this) was the austere, silvery head of Old Ararat. 



ARARAT. 



143 



(There was a second, and somewhat lower summit, distant 
from that on which I stood less than a quarter of a mile.) 
The gentle depression between the two eminences pre- 
sents a plain of snow, over which it would be easy to go 
from the one to the other ; and which may be supposed 
to be the very spot on which Noah's ark rested, if the 
summit itself be assumed as the scene of that event, for 
there is no want of the requisite space, inasmuch as the 
ark, according to Genesis vi. 15, three hundred ells 
long and fifty wide, would not have occupied a tenth 
part of the surface of this depression ... 

" Should any one now inquire respecting the possibility 
of remains of the ark still existing on Ararat, it may 
be replied that there is nothing in that possibility in- 
compatible with the laws of nature, if it only be assumed 
that immediately after the flood, the summit of that 
mountain began to be covered with perpetual ice and 
snow, an assumption which cannot be reasonably ob- 
jected to. And when it is considered, that on great 
mountains accumulated coverings of ice and snow, ex- 
ceeding one hundred feet in thickness, are by no means 
unusual, it is obvious that on the top of Ararat there 
may be easily a sufficient depth of ice to cover the ark, 
which was only thirty ells high. From the summit I 
had a very extensive prospect, in which, however, owing 
to the great distances, only the chief masses, (chiefly 
consisting of mountains), could be plainly distinguished . . 
After staying on the summit about three-quarters of an 
hour, we began to think of returning, and by way of 
preparation took each a morsel of bread, and some wine. 
We then went, one after the other, rapidly down the 
steep, by means of the deep steps cut in the ice during 
the ascent ; yet the descent was still extremely fatiguing, 
and to me in particular, caused much pain in the knees ; 
nevertheless we hastened on, as the sun was already low, 
and before we reached the snow-plain it had sunk below 
the horizon ; it was a magnificent spectacle to observe 
the dark shadow thrown on the plain, by the mountains 



144 



ARARAT. 



beneath, us to the west : then the deep darkness which 
encompassed all the valleys, and gradually rose higher 
and higher on Ararat, while now only its icy head was 
illumined by the rays of the sunken orb : but they 
soon shot above that also, and our path downwards 
would have been involved in perilous darkness, had not 
the luminary of night arisen in the opposite quarter of 
the heavens, to throw a clear and lovely light on our foot- 
steps. About half-past six in the evening, we reached 
our place of bivouac, where a cheerful fire was made 
with the wood that remained, a small supper cooked, and 
the night, as bright and warm as the preceding one, 
spent agreeably. There also we found our attendants 
whom we had left behind, together with our things. 
The next day. about six in the morning, we set off, and 
about half-past eight, reached the plain where the beasts 
of burden were waiting for us, and about noon on the 
28th Sept., we joyfully entered St. James, as the pa- 
triarch 2\"oah, - with his sons, and with his wives, and 
with his sons' wives, had. 4000 years before, descended 
from Ararat. On the day after our return, in our 
Sabbath devotions, we bore to the Lord the offering of 
our thanks, perhaps not far from the very spot where 
Noah built an altar to the Lord, and offered thereon 
burnt offerings.'" — Parrot's Journey to Ararat. 



PARTIAL FALL OF ARARAT. 

" In the summer of 1840, Armenia was visited by a 
violent earthquake, which shook Ararat to its founda- 
tion. The immense quantities of loose stones, snow, ice, 
and mud then precipitated from the great chasm, imme- 
diately overwhelmed and destroyed the monastery of 
St. James, and the village of Arguri, and spread de- 
struction far and wide in the plain of the Araxes. The 
earthquake was first felt in the vicinity of Ararat, about 



ARARAT. 



145 



half-past six in the evening, and continued with alter- 
nating shocks and undulatorj motion of the earth for 
two minutes. The monastery of St. James, and the 
village of Arguri, were buried in the ruins from the 
mountain. The streams of mud and melted snow 
poured down from the great chasm, covered the fields 
and gardens to the distance of seven miles. About seven 
o'clock the same evening about three thousand houses 
were thrown down in the district of Sharu, on the Araxes, 
east of Ararat. The banks of the Araxes gaped in cracks 
ten or twelve feet wide ; these fissures threw out water, 
with great quantities of sand, to the height, in some 
cases, of five feet. The bed of the Araxes was in some 
places left quite dry ; in others, the collected waters 
were kept in continual agitation, as if they boiled. Of 
the people of Arguri, about a thousand souls, not one 
escaped. The number of habitations altogether laid in 
ruins amounted to between six and seven thousand. 
Had not the earthquake taken place at the hour when 
the Easterns generally quit the shelter of their roofs to 
enjoy the freshness of the open air, its effects would have 
been much more fatal. 

" The result of the fall of rocks, ice, and mud from 
the mountain has been a vast increase in the size of the 
great chasm, from which the accumulations of ages 
have been swept away. The snowy summit of Ararat 
has sunk considerably, but has not fallen in, as was re- 
ported. The meadows around St. James, where thirty 
families of Kurds, encamped there at the time of the 
earthquake, perished, are now deeply covered with the 
deposit of mud." — Appendix to Parrot's Journey to 
Ararat. 



L 



CHAPTER V. 



ASIA MINOR. 

ICONIUM. 

Antioch EN Pistdia Search for this City by Mr. Arundell — Ruins of 

the City — Ancient Church. 
Tarsus. — The River Cydnus — Cotton. 
Pat aha. 

Sevex Churches oe Asia. 

Ephesus. — Thoughts on visiting Ephesus — Village of Aiasaluck — Situation 
of Ephesus — Ruins — Mounts Prion and Corissus — Quarries — Ruined 
Church — Desolation of Ephesus — Storks — The Theatre — Reflections. 

Sxyrxa. — Modern City — Priests of Smyrna — Church — Martyrdom of a 
Greek Christian. 

Per&amos. — Ancient Library — Citadel — Antiquities — Population — Greek 

Miller — Greek Church and School. 
Thyatira. — Approach to the City — Modern Thyatira — Eew ancient 

Remains — Eine Water — Scarlet Dye. 
Sardis. — Temple of Cybele — Notices of Sardis, Ancient and Modern — 

Acropolis — River Hermus — Sad state of Religion among the Greek 

Christians. 

Phieadeephia. — Numerous Population — Their Ignorance and Darkness 
— The Turtle-dove — Bishop of Philadelphia — " City of God" — Antiqui- 
ties — Testimony of an Infidel. 

Laoeicea. — Desolation of Laodicea — Circus— Natural Curiosities— Tillage 
of Eski-hissar— Painful Reflections— Thoughts in a Storm. 

Hierapoeis.— Ruins— Hot "Waters. 

Coeosse. — Eine Situation — Castle Rock — Extensive Ruins. 

Troas.— Night Scene— Visit to the ancient City— Hot Spring— Wild 
Beasts. 



147 



ICONIUM. (KONIYEH.) 
SCRIPTURE NOTICES. 

" (Paul and Barnabas) came unto Iconiuin." — Acts 
xiii. 51. 

" And it came to pass in Iconium, that they went 
both together into the synagogue of the Jews and so 
spake, that a great multitude both of the Jews and also 
of the Greeks, believed . . . There came certain Jews 
from . . . Iconium, who persuaded the people, and hav- 
ing stoned Paul, drew him out of the city (Lystra) 
supposing he had been dead." — Acts xiv. 1, 19 ; v. 21 ; 
xvi. 2. 

" Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at . . . 
Iconium." — 2 Tim. iii. 11. 



"After visiting many of the great towns of Asia 
Minor, Koniyeh certainly appears the most fallen and 
ruinous of all, and yet it stands among the first in its 
early renown for size, population, and riches. 

" The remains of its Mohammedan buildings are very 
beautiful. There are upwards of twenty colleges within 
its precincts, many of them still held in high esteem by 
the Mohammedans, and which are now, as formerly, the 
apologies for indulgence and sloth. 

" The city is situated on a wide and level plain, where 
we saw the beautiful bird called the Aleppo plover, with 
a spur to its wing. The soil of the plain is very saline, 
and favourable to the growth of saline plants, towards 
which the camels rushed eagerly, reminded by them of 
their own desert plains. We came to a marsh where 
the road was covered with (multitudes of) small frogs, on 
which various birds of prey were feeding." — See Ains- 
worth's Asia Minor. 



148 



ANTIOCH Of PISIDIA. 




ANTIOCH IN PISIDIA. 

SEARCH E0R THIS CITY BY MR. ARUXDELE— RUHsS OP THE CITY — 
AXCIEXT CHURCH. 

SCRIPTUKE NOTICES. 

ce When they departed from Perga, they came to 
Antiocli in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the 
Sabbath-day, and sat down." — Acts xiii. 14 (Read the 
whole chapter.) 

" Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at 
Antioch."— 2 Tim. iii. 11. 



Towards the close of the year 1832, Mr. Arundell 
planned a journey which he afterwards actually accom- 
plished, through different parts of Asia Minor. His 
object was to search for ruins in several directions, of 



ANTIOCH IN PISIDIA. 



149 



which he had received information; and (i first and 
chiefest, to determine the site of Antioch of Pisidia, that 
place so important to the Scripture geographer, as en- 
nobled by the discourses and persecutions of St. Paul." 
From information repeatedly sought at Smyrna, and a 
careful research into all the ancient authorities, there 
was every reason to believe that Antioch would be found 
at or near a considerable Turkish town, called Gialobatsh, 
or Yalobatch. This town lay in an eastern direction 
from Deenare, the ancient Apamea, and the reputed 
distance was about twenty hours, thus agreeing very 
well with the tables, which placed Antioch at the distance 
of seventy miles from Apamea. The road passed through 
another city called Apollonia, which was twenty-five 
miles from Apamea, and forty-five from Antioch. " On 
inquiring the road from Deenare or Apamea to Gialobatsh, 
we were told there were two, but the usual one led 
through the town of Oloubourlou. We determined to 
take this route, encouraged by its agreeing in distance with 
Apollonia, which we had strong hopes of finding at or 
near Oloubourlou \ and if so, we should be warranted in 
fixing Antioch at or near Gialobatsh." 

For some little time after leaving Apamea, " we had 
seen nothing to assure us that we were in the great 
ancient road from Apamea to Antioch, but now we 
ascended the mountain steep by a winding, but so ingeni- 
ously constructed a road, that the evidence of many of the 
rocks cut was hardly necessary to prove that it was long 
anterior to Turkish dominion;" in reality, the old Roman 
road. " A heap of squared stones with a pedestal of great 
dimensions, . . . confirmed this opinion, and we had 
strong hopes that we were in the right road to Antioch.' 
After some little time longer, " the road became stony, 
and led down to the bed of a river, in which, or by the 
side of it, we rode along in a horrible track, and though 
favoured with moonlight, not without much apprehension 
of having lost our road. At length the road, still lying 
along the river side, became wider and better at the 



150 



ANTIOCH IN PISIDIA. 



junction of another road, which descended the mountains 
on the left, and crossed the river by a bridge. We rode 
on in a fertile and well wooded country, and a house 
here and there, amidst gardens or vineyards, deceived 
us into the belief that we had arrived at Oloubourlou. 
Such was not our lot ; road after road was tried in the 
hope of its leading to the town, but all abandoned. 
We were almost in despair, when the barking of a dog, 
under a high mountain, induced us to take that direc- 
tion, for it was an evidence that some human habitation 
was not far distant. Shortly after, two Turks directed 
us to the town, where we arrived at seven o'clock, after 
another half hour of horrible stony road. 

" I had repeatedly endeavoured, at Smyrna, to get 
information from persons living in the neighbourhood of 
Isbarta, 1 as to the site of any place in that neighbourhood 
celebrated for a peculiar species of quince ; for Apollonia 
was celebrated for quinces. Before entering the town 
(Oloubourlou) we fancied many of the trees, as well as the 
light would allow us to judge, resembled quinces, but we 
had not arrived ten minutes in the khan before one of 
our attendants entered our apartment with some of the 
most magnificent quinces I ever beheld, and which 
differed essentially from others, in being eatable without 
dressing. They were a little hard, but the flavour was 
that of the pine-apple. 

" We had no positive proof that we were at Apollonia 
till the next morning, when . . . the first object that 
met our view was a very lofty acropolis, covering the 
summit of the steep street just in front of it. We lost 
little time in going up to it, and found an ancient gate- 
way nearly entire, with remains of massy and high walls 
on either side. Immediately above the gateway was an 
inscription — ' The council and people of Apollonia' 2 

" Entering within the gate, we found an extensive 

1 This was when Mr. Arundell had imagined that Antioeh of Pisidia 
would be found in the neighbourhood of Isbarta. 

2 This city is not the Apollonia mentioned in the Acts. 



ANTIOCH IN PISIDIA. 



151 



space enclosed by remains of similar massy walls, except 
when the nature of the ground made such a defence 
unnecessary. In fact, the acropolis on most sides was a 
naked perpendicular rock, of stupendous height, and the 
head grew dizzy on leaning over the precipices to look 
down into the yawning depth below . . . 

" We were much interested by a small Greek colony, 
of about three hundred persons, separated altogether 
from the rest of the Turkish inhabitants. According 
to their account of themselves, they have from the 
earliest time occupied their present position, within the 
walls of the ancient acropolis ; they intermarry only 
among themselves, and have no connexion with any other 
Christians from without, though of course included within 
the diocese, and under the jurisdiction of the Archbishop 
of Pisidia. There was something so primitive in their 
manners and appearance, that we could readily believe 
their story ; and I fancied I saw in them the represent- 
atives of the Antioch Christians, who had been driven 
away . . . from that city by the earlier persecutions. The 
church was an ancient structure, though on the found- 
ation of a much earlier one. (There was) a large stone 
font, evidently long disused. Numerous fragments, and 
mutilated inscriptions, were fixed in the outer walls of 
the edifice. These Greek Christians knew nothing of 
their own language, and they were very thankful when 
I offered to send them a few Testaments in Turkish, and, 
if possible, some elementary books for the purpose of 
establishing a school. Our thoughts were so completely 
occupied with Antioch of Pisidia, which we were now 
certain must be now Gialobatsh, that we quitted Olou- 
bourlou with much less regret than we should have other- 
wise done . . . 

" It was half-past two when we quitted Oloubourlou, 
(rather, restoring its proper name, Apollonia ;) the road 
passed under precipitous rocks of great height, with 
numerous tombs in the sides. Looking back, the enor- 
mous rock of the acropolis, with fine trees of every kind, 



152 



AXTIOCH IN PISIDIA. 



and every tint of autumnal colouring at the base, was a 
most striking picture . . . 

" The road lay along the mountain side in the great 
plain of Kara Asian . . . Next day the lake of Eyerdir 
was a conspicuous object ... a high range of mountains 
rising immediately from the water's edge, and a small, 
but long and flat island in it, on which appeared some- 
thing like a building. We were subsequently told that 
Christians inhabit this island, having of course boats to 
communicate with the land \ and that on the high side of 
the rocky mountain there are several caves, most probably 
tombs, which this little Christian colony visit with their 
families in the summer months, for a period of fifteen 
days. As there are no houses, they probably c dwell in 
the tombs ' — a residence not peculiar to the shores of 
the lake of Gennesareth, but of common occurrence in 
Asia Minor, and particularly in the island of Milo . . . 

" The following day some tombs behind a fountain 
were hailed as auspicious tokens that we were on the 
road to Antioch, or at least on an ancient Roman road. 
From hence, leaving the plain beneath us, Ave ascended 
into an open country . . . We had from time to time 
observed distinct vestiges of an ancient road, parallel to 
our own, and now r the plain of Gialobatsh opened be- 
neath us, and on the mountain side, which bounded 
the plain opposite at the left, vre saw considerable 
remains of an aqueduct. Descending into the plain, 
we crossed a river, and having traversed the plain, 
and met numerous well constructed carts, drawn by buf- 
faloes, arrived at the town of Yalobatz. If we had not 
seen the aqueduct, the quantity of immense squared 
blocks of stone, and sculptured fragments, which we saw 
all the way to the khan, would have convinced us at 
once that we were on the site of a great city. We felt 
convinced that we had attained the great object of our 
journey, and were really on the spot consecrated by the 
labours and persecutions of the apostles Paul and Bar- 
nabas . . . Leaving the town, and going on the north 



ANTIOCH IN PISIDIA. 



153 



side of it, in the direction of the aqueduct, we were 
soon upon an elevated plateau ; the quantity of ancient 
pottery, independently of the ruins, told us at once 
that we were upon the emplacement of the city of 
Antioch. The superb members of a temple, which . . . 
evidently belonged to Bacchus, was the first thing we 
saw. Passing on, a long and immense building, con- 
structed with prodigious stones, and standing east and 
west, made me entertain a hope that it might be a church 
— a church of Antioch ! It was so ; the ground plan, 
with the circular end for the bema, all remaining ! 
Willingly would I have remained hours in the midst of 
a temple — perhaps one of the very earliest consecrated 
to the Saviour ; but we were obliged to hasten on. The 
next thing that attracted our notice, were two large 
magnificent arches, (a subterranean passage,) running 
far beneath the hill, and supporting the platform of a 
superb temple. A high wall of immense stones, with- 
out cement, next occurred, part probably of the gate of 
the city, and near it the ground plan of another build- 
ing. From hence ran a wall, at least its ruins, along 
towards the aqueduct, crowning the brow of the hill, 
and abruptly terminating where the hill became so pre- 
cipitous as to require no defence. The remains of the 
aqueduct, of which twenty-one arches are perfect, are 
the most splendid I ever beheld ; the stones, without 
cement, of the same massy dimensions as in the wall. 

" The view, when near the aqueduct, was enchanting, 
and well entitled Antioch to its rank of capital of the 
province of Pisidia. In the valley on the left, groves of 
poplars and weeping willows seemed to sing the song of 
the Psalmist, ' We hanged our harps upon the willows,' 
&c, mourning, as at Babylon, for the melancholy fate of 
this once great Christian city. Not a Christian now 
resides in it, except a single Greek in the khan. Not a 
church, nor any priest to officiate, where Paul and 
Barnabas, and their successors, converted thousands of 
idolaters to the true faith ! 



154 



ANTIOCH IN PISIDIA. 



" Behind the valley in the east, rises a rugged moun- 
tain . . . and in front of the place where I sat, is the 
emplacement of the city, where once stood the synagogue 
and the mansions that hospitably received the apostles, 
and those of their persecutors who drove them from the 
city — all now levelled to the ground. Behind the city, 
in the middle distance, is seen the modern city, or town 
of Yalobatz, the houses intermixed with poplars and 
other trees, in autumnal colouring, and so numerous as 
to resemble a grove rather than a city. Beyond was a 
plain, (and the river was bounded by mountains, of 
which the highest were the rugged peaks of Mount 
Taurus, covered with snow.) In the foreground was the 
aqueduct, with the plain and groves of Yalobatz appear- 
ing through its arches. Behind us rose an amphitheatre 
of round low hills, backed by mountains, naked and 
lofty. 

" (Xext morning we measured) the church at Antioch 
. . . Perhaps we were standing on the very spot where 
Paul had made his admirable sermon ; for it is very 
natural to suppose that the oldest church was built upon 
the site of the synagogue ... To the north of the church 
. . . are . . . arches . . . and the platform of a very large 
temple above them . . . the remains of a theatre lie on 
the east of the church, (and beyond it) are vestiges of 
another church of small size. Above this are remains 
of walls on either side, as if the continuation of a street 
(and beyond these some very curious remains, perhaps 
another temple, or a portico) . . . Excavations were going 
on in every direction, and the workmen were every 
moment uncovering columns and foundations. 

" Antioch, though usually called Antioch of Pisidia, 
properly was situated in Phrygia. 

"If the Syrian Antioch had the high privilege of 
being the spot where the disciples of Jesus were first 
denominated by the name of their Master, Antioch of 
Pisidia stands almost as prominently distinguished as 
the place where, the Jews having rejected the offer of 



TARSUS. 



155 



salvation, the glad tidings of the Gospel were offered to 
the Gentile world. It was at Antioch in Syria that 
the two apostles, Paul and Barnabas, were honoured 
with their appointment to their great mission ; it was at 
Antioch of Pisidia that they first fully entered upon 
that mission, for which they had been separated by the 
Holy Ghost." — See Arundell's Asia Minor. 



TARSUS. (TERSOOS.) 

THE E1YER CYDNUS— COTTON. 
SCRIPTURE NOTICE. 

"I am a man which am a Jew of Tarsus, a city in 
Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city." — Acts xxi. 39. 
[Acts ix. 30. xi. 25. xxii. 3.] 

" We descended into the great plain of Tersoos at 
dusk. At eight we stopped for the night at a very 
small village. At five (next morning) we proceeded, 
and at seven reached the khan in Tersoos, having crossed 
the Cydnus over a considerable bridge. 

" Tersoos, the ancient Tarsus, lies about a mile to the 
south-west of the Cydnus ; it has no good buildings, 
and is but ill supplied with the necessaries of life. About 
a mile to the north of the town, the river, previously of 
a considerable depth and breadth, falls over a bed of 
rocks about fifteen feet in height, whence it separates 
into several small channels, turning mills and watering 
beautiful gardens. These streams afterwards unite in 
one, and so continue to the sea. 

" The antiquities of this place are but few ; fragments 
of columns, &c. are scattered about in various parts of 
the town. The governor lately made excavations for 
stones to build with, when many columns, &c. were 
found, showing the abundance of antique remains which 
must still exist under ground. There are two gates ; 



156 



PATARA. 



they are simple arches, but were once decorated. To 
the north-west of the town, traces of the ancient wall 
are distinguishable, and a citadel, tolerably perfect, to 
the north. 

" The commerce of Tersoos, at present, consists chiefly 
of cotton, of which the neighbouring plains afford an 
abundant supply. The khan was so full of merchandize 
and its proprietors, that we could not obtain a room in 
it. Strabo states that the Cydnus ran through the heart 
of the city. As the Cydnus is now a good half-hour's 
walk from the modern town, some idea, from this cir- 
cumstance, may be formed of its original dimensions. 
The Cydnus endangered the life of Alexander the Great, 
by his bathing in it ; we bathed in it above the falls, 
and found the water unusually cold, but felt no ill effects 
from it. Though it was now the middle of October, the 
heat was so great, that the thermometer, on the day 
we arrived, stood at 92° in the shade. We left 
Tersoos, taking with us a good supply of hung beef, cured 
by the Turcomen, who bring it to Tersoos for sale." — 
Irby and Mangles. 



PATAEA. 
SCRIPTURE NOTICE. 

" (We came from Rhodes) unto Patara." — Acts xxi. 1. 

Patara was a seaport town of Lycia in Asia Minor. 
It was once a magnificent place, honoured by the em- 
perors, and crowded with temples. It contained the 
oracle of Apollo, which gave responses during the six 
winter months, as did that of Delphi during the summer. 
The ruins of this city, among which is a theatre in good 
preservation, still bear the name of Patara. A colossal 
hand has been found among the remains of its ancient 
grandeur, in the act of grasping — a relic of J upiter and 
his thunderbolt. 



EPHESUS. 



157 




SEVEN CHUECHES OE ASIA. 
EPHESUS. 

THOUGHTS ON VISITING EPHESUS— VILLAGE OE AlASALUCK— SITUATION 
OE EPHESUS RUINS MOUNTS PRION AND CORISSUS-QUARRIES— 
RUINED CHURCH— DESOLATION OE EPHESUS— STORKS— THE THEATRE 
— REFLECTIONS. 

SCRIPTTJRE NOTICES. 

^ " And he (Paul) came to Ephesus ... and reasoned 
with the Jews. When they desired him to tarry longer 
time with them, he consented not ; but bade them fare- 
well, saying, I must by all means keep this feast that 
cometh in Jerusalem : but I will return again unto you, 
if God will. And he sailed from Ephesus."— Acts xviii. 
19—21. 

" And it came to pass, that while Apollos was at 
Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts, 



158 



EPHESUS. 



came to Ephesus ; and finding certain disciples, he said 
unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye 
believed ] 

" And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly 
for the space of three months . . . But when divers were 
hardened and believed not ... he departed from them, 
and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school 
of one Tyrannus. And this continued by the space of 
two years ; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard 
the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks . . . 
(See further in the same chapter the account of the 
exorcists, and of the burning of the conjuring books) . . . 
So mightily grew the word of God, and prevailed . . . 

" And . . . there arose no small stir about that way. 
For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, 
which made silver shrines for Diana, brought no small 
gain unto the craftsmen ; whom he called together . . . 
and said, Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have our 
wealth. Moreover, ye see and hear, that not alone at 
Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath 
persuaded and turned away much people, saying that 
they be no gods, which are made with hands : so that 
not only this our craft is in danger to be set at nought ; 
but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana 
should be despised, and her magnificence should be de- 
stroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshippeth. And 
when they heard these sayings, they were full of wrath, 
and cried out, saying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians ! 
And the whole city was filled with confusion ; and hav- 
ing caught Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, 
Paul's companions in travel, they rushed with one accord 
into the theatre. And when Paul would have entered 
in unto the people, the disciples suffered him not . . . 
And after the uproar was ceased, Paul called unto him 
the disciples, and embraced them, and departed for to go 
into Macedonia." — Acts xix. 1, 2, 8, 9, &c. (read whole 
chapter) ; xx. 1. 

a And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the 



EPHESUS. 



159 



elders of the church, and . . . said unto them, Ye know, 
from the first day that I came into Asia, after what 
manner I have been with you at all seasons . . . and 
have taught you publicly, and from house to house , . . 
And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I 
have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my 
face no more . . . Take heed therefore unto yourselves, 
and to all the flock ... for I know this, that after my 
departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not 
sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men 
arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples 
after them. Therefore watch, and remember that by 
the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one 
night and day with tears . . . And when he had spoken 
these words, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all. 
And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul's neck, and 
kissed him, sorrowing most of all for the words which 
he spake, that they should see his face no more. And 
they accompanied him unto the ship." — Acts xx. read 
from verse 17 — 38. 

" If after the manner of men I have fought with 
beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead 
rise not % " — 1 Cor. xv. 32 ; xvi. 8. 

" Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, 
to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful 
in Christ Jesus." — Ephes. i. 1. (The Epistle to the 
Ephesians was written from Rome.) — See also 1 Tim. i. 
3 ; 2 Tim. i. 18 ; iv. 12. 

" Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write ; 
These things saith He that holdeth the seven stars in 
his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven 
golden candlesticks ; I know thy works, and thy labour, 
and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them 
which are evil, and thou hast tried them which say they 
are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars ; and 
hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake 
hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless, I have 
somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. 



160 



EPRESUS. 



Remember, therefore, from whence thou art fallen ; and 
repent, and do the first ivories; or else I will come unto 
thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his 
place, except thou repent. But this thou hast, that thou 
hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes,, which I also hate. 
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith 
unto the churches ; to him that overcometh will I give 
to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the 
Paradise of God." — Rev. ii. 1 — 7. 



THOUGHTS 0^ VISITING EPHESUS. 

" What would have been the astonishment and grief 
of the beloved apostle and Timothy (observes Mr. Arun- 
dell) if they could have foreseen that a time would come 
when there would be in Ephesus neither angel, nor 
church, nor city ! When the great city would become 
' heaps, a desolation, a dry land, and a wilderness, a 
land wherein no man dwelleth, neither doth any son of 
man pass thereby ! 5 Once it had an idolatrous temple 
celebrated for its magnificence as one of the wonders of 
the world, and the mountains of Corissus and Prion re- 
echoed the shouts of ten thousand tongues, ' Great is 
Diana of the Ephesians ! ' Once it had Christian temples 
almost 'rivalling the Pagan in splendour, wherein the 
image that fell down from Jupiter lay prostrate before 
the cross, and as many tongues moved by the Holy 
Ghost made public avowal that ' Great is the Lord Jesus ! ' 
Once it had a bishop, the angel of the church, Timothy, 
the beloved disciple of St. John ; and tradition relates 
that it was honoured with the last days of both these 
great men, and of the mother of our Lord. Some cen- 
turies passed on, and the altars of Jesus were again 
thrown down to make way for the delusions of Mahomet ; 
the cross is removed from the dome of the church, and 
the crescent glitters in its stead. A few years more, and 



EPHESUS. 



161 



all may be silence in the mosque and in the church ! A 
few unintelligible heaps of stones, with some mud cot- 
tages untenanted, are all the remains of the great city 
of the Ephesians ! The busy hum of a mighty popula- 
tion is silent in death ; 6 Thy riches and thy fairs, thy 
merchandize, thy mariners and thy pilots, thy caulkers, 
and the occupiers of thy merchandize, and all thy men 
of war, are fallen.' Even the sea has retired from the 
scene of desolation, and a pestilential morass, covered 
with mud and rushes, has succeeded to the waters which 
brought up the ships laden with merchandize from every 
country." 

" Aiasaluck is a small village, inhabited by a few 
Turkish families, standing chiefly on the south side of 
the castle-hill, among bushes and ruins. It was dusk 
when we arrived, lamenting the silence and humiliation 
as we conceived, of Ephesus. While supper was pre- 
paring, we sat in the open air ; when suddenly, fires 
began to blaze up among the bushes, and we saw the 
villagers collected about them in savage groups, or 
passing to and fro with lighted brands for torches. The 
flames, with the stars and a pale moon, afforded us a 
dim prospect of ruin and desolation ; a shrill owl, called 
Cucuvaia, from its note, with a night hawk, flitted near 
us ; and a jackal cried mournfully, as if forsaken by his 
companions on the mountain. We retired early in the 
evening to our shed, not without some sensations of me- 
lancholy, which were renewed at the dawn of day. We 
had then a distinct view of a solemn and most forlorn 
spot : a neglected castle, a grand mosque, and a broken 
aqueduct, with mean cottages, and ruinous buildings in- 
terspersed among wild thickets, and spreading to a con- 
siderable extent ; many of the scattered structures are 
square, with domes, and have been baths. Some grave- 
stones occurred, finely painted and gilded . . . But the 
castle, the mosque, and the aqueduct, are alone suffi- 
cient evidences, as well of the former greatness of the 
place, as of its importance. The castle is a large 

M 



162 



EPHESUS. 



edifice, the wall built with square towers. You ascend to 
it over heaps of stones intermixed with scraps of marble. 
. . . Over (an) arch are four pieces of ancient sculpture, 
and exquisite workmanship . . . The grand mosque is 
situated beneath the castle, westward. The side next 
the foot of the hill is of stone ; the remainder, of veined 
marble, polished . . . The large granite columns which 
sustain the roof, and the marbles, are spoils from ancient 
Ephesus . . . The whole of Aiasaluck is patchwork, com- 
posed of marbles and fragments removed from their ori- 
ginal places, and put together without elegance or order. 
We were convinced that we had not arrived jet at 
Ephesus, before we discovered the ruins of that city, 
which are nearer the sea, and visible from the castle 
hill. Ephesus was situated by the mountains, which 
are the southern boundary of the plain, and comprehended 
within its wall a portion of Mount Prion and of Corissus. 
Mount Prion is a circular hill, resembling that of 
Aiasaluck, but much larger. Corissus is a single lofty 
ridge, extending northward from near Mount Pactyas, 
and approaching Prion, then making an elbow and run- 
ning westwardly toward the sea . . . We entered Ephesus 
from Aiasaluck, with Mount Prion and the exterior 
side wall of a stadium which fronted the sea on our left 
hand. Going on and turning, we passed that wing of the 
building, and the area opened to us . . . The seats, which 
ranged in numerous rows one above another, have all been 
removed . . . The vestiges of the theatre are farther on in 
the side of the same mountain. The seats, and the ruins 
of the front are removed . . . Going on from the theatre . . , 
you come to a narrow valley which divides Mount Prion 
from Corissus . . . Xear the entrance . . . were ruins 
of a church . . . Within the valley you find broken 
columns and pieces of marble, with vestiges of a music 
theatre in the slope of Prion. This, which was not a 
large structure, is stripped of the seats, and naked. 
Beyond (it) the valley opens gradually into the plain of 
Aiasaluck; and keeping round by Prion, you come to the 



EPHESUS. 



163 



remains of a large edifice . . . Among the fragments lying 
in the front, are two trunks of statues, of great size, 
without heads, and almost buried. This huge building 
was the gymnasium, which is mentioned as behind the 
city. We pitched our tents among its ruins. 

" In the entrance street of the city from Aiasaluck, 
were scattered pedestals and bases of columns. The 




RUINS AT EPHESUS. 

edifices in it had been equally ample and noble. This 
street was crossed by one leading from the plain toward the 
valley before mentioned, which had on the left the front 
of the stadium and the theatre . . . (and) on the right, 
(the ruins probably of the) market place . . . arsenals, 
and of the public treasury, the prison, and the like 
buildings . . . We were now at the end of the street, 
and near the entrance of the valley between Prion and 
Corissus. Here, turning toward the sea, you have the 



164 



EPHESU9. 



market-place on the right hand ; on the left, the sloping 
side of Corissus, and presently the prostrate heap of a 
temple . . . perhaps (that) erected at Ephesus by per- 
mission of Augustus Caesar to the god Julius, or that 
dedicated to Claudius Caesar. 

" About a mile farther on, is a root of Corissus run- 
ning out toward the plain, and ending in an abrupt 
precipice, which has a square tower, one of many be- 
longing to the city wall, standing on it. We rode to it 
along the mountain side, but that way is steep and 
slippery. Near it are remnants of a sumptuous edifice, 
and among the bushes beneath, we found an altar of 
white marble. This eminence commands a lovely pro- 
spect of the river Cayster. 

" Mount Prion . . . has served as an inexhaustible maga- 
zine of marble, and contributed largely to the magnificence 
of the city. The Ephesians, it is related, when they first 
resolved to provide an edifice worthy of their Diana, 
were met to agree on importing materials. The quarries 
then in use were remote, and the expense, it was foreseen, 
would be prodigious. At this time, a shepherd happened 
to be feeding his flock on Mount Prion, and two rams 
fighting, one of them missed his antagonist, and striking 
the rock with his horn, broke off a crust of very white 
marble. He ran into the city with this specimen, which 
was received with excess of joy. He was highly honoured 
for his accidental discovery, and finally canonized • the 
Ephesians changing his name to Evangelus, the good 
messenger, and enjoining their chief magistrate, under a 
penalty, to visit the spot, and to sacrifice to him monthly, 
which custom continued to the age of Augustus Caesar . . . 
In the records of our religion, Prion is ennobled as the 
burying place of Timothy, the companion of St. Paul, 
and the first Bishop of Ephesus, whose body was after- 
wards translated to Constantinople by the founder of 
that city (Constantine), or his son, and placed with St. 
Luke, and St. Andrew, in the church of the Apostles. 
The story of St. John the Evangelist was deformed in 



EPHESUS. 



165 



an early age with fiction ; but lie also was interred at 
Ephesus, and, as appears from one narration, in this 
mountain. In the side of Prion . . . are cavities with 
mouths, like ovens, made to admit the bodies, which were 
thrust in, head or feet foremost . . . Then follows further 
on, a wide aperture or two, which are avenues to the 
quarries, with hanging precipices, and in one is the ruin 
of a church . . . perhaps that of St. J ohn, rebuilt by the 
emperor Justinian. It is still frequented, and had a 
path leading to it through tall strong thistles . . . The 
quarries are in the bowels of the mountain, with num- 
berless mazes, and vast silent dripping caverns. In 
many parts are chippings of marble, and marks of the 
tools ... I saw huge pieces lying among the bushes at 
the bottom. The looking down the steep and solemn 
precipice was formidable. A flock of crows, disturbed at 
my approach, flew out with no small clamour. 

" 6 But what, it will be asked, is become of the renowned 
Temple of Diana 1 Can a wonder of the world be va- 
nished like a phantom, without leaving a trace behind V 
We would gladly give (says Chandler) a satisfactory an- 
swer to such queries ; but to our great regret, we searched 
for the site of this fabric to as little purpose as the 
travellers who have preceded us. 

" (Perhaps) the entire remains of the temple are buried 
under the soil. . . . 

"The address of the town clerk to the Ephesians, 
' Ye men of Ephesus, what man is there that knoweth 
not how that the city of the Ephesians is a worshipper 
of the great goddess Diana % ' &c, is curiously illustrated 
by an inscription found by Chandler near the aqueduct, 
commencing as follows : — ' Inasmuch as it is notorious, 
that not only among the Ephesians, but also everywhere 
among the Greek nations, temples are consecrated to 
her, and sacred portions,' &c. 

" .... In 1677, Ephesus was already ' reduced to an 
inconsiderable number of cottages, wholly inhabited by 
Turks.' < This place, where once Christianity so flou- 



166 



EPHESUS, 



rished as to be a mother Church, and the see of a metro- 
politan bishop, cannot now show one family of Christians. 
So hath the secret providence of God disposed affairs, 
too deep and mysterious for us to search into 5 ... In 
1699. ; the miserable remains of the church of Ephesus 
resided not on the spot, but at a village called Kir 
Ringecui.' 

" I was at Ephesus in January. 1824 ; the desolation 
was then complete : a Turk, whose' shed we occupied, 
his Arab servant, and a single Greek, composed the en- 
tire population : some Turcomen excepted, whose black 
tents were pitched among the ruins. There is still, how- 
ever, a village near, (probably the one alluded to above,) 
having 400 Greek houses." — See Arundell's Visit to the 
Seven Churches of Asia. Chaxbler's Asia Minor. <fcc. 

" We reached Aiasaliick about half-after one o'clock. 
It was with feelings of no common interest, that my eye 
caught, from a distance, the aqueduct and the castle ; 
and, with still greater delight, that I afterwards pro- 
ceeded to examine the ruins. Ephesus had at one pe- 
riod extended to Aiasaluck : but the principal ruins 
of that celebrated city are a mile distant. At this place 
we see chiefly the ruins of the Mahomedan town, which 
flourished for a time after the destruction of the other, 
and had been erected in a great measure by the spoils 
which it furnished. Innumerable are the inscriptions 
which are lying about in disorder or neglect : or which 
are built into the aqueduct and the Turkish structures. 

" So ruin here struck me so much as the large mosque, 
which some travellers have ventured to suppose the 
church of St. John. The front of the building is reckoned 
one of the finest specimens of Saracenic architecture, 
and in the interior are some stupendous columns, which 
there is no reason to doubt once graced the celebrated 
temple of Diana. 

" I cannot describe the feelings which came over my 
mind, on viewing the mosque, the castle, and the multi- 
tude of ruins which are strewed on every side. What a 



EPHESUS. 



167 



scene of desolation ! With the utmost truth and feeling 
has it been observed, by a celebrated traveller : i It is a 
solemn and most forlorn spot ! And, at night, when the 
mournful cry of the jackal is heard on the mountain, 
and the nighthawk, and the shrill owl, (named from its 
note, Cucuvaia) are flitting around the ruins, the 
scene awakens the deepest sensations of melancholy. 5 I 
was also much struck to observe, how the stork ap- 
pears, at present, to claim possession of these ancient 
edifices. You see this bird perching, in all directions, 
upon the summits of the buildings, or hovering round 
them in the air, or fixing its immense nest, like the 
capital of a column, on the large masses of ruins. As 
for the stork, the ruins of Ephesus are her house. There 
is a great peculiarity in the note of this bird • it reminds 
the hearer of the sound of a watchman's rattle . . . We 
found only a single Greek inhabiting the village of 
Aiasaluck. In a missionary point of view, Ephesus offers 
no attractions : her ancient church has vanished; the 
candlestick has been removed ; and even the Turks who 
dwell at hand are few in number. . . . 

" March 31 st, 1826. — This morning we crossed the 
plain of the ruins of Ephesus. One of the first objects 
which attract notice, are the numerous places of burial 
which are observed on the declivity of Mount Prion. 
They consist of excavations in the side of the hill, 
arched with stone-work. It is here that, tradition in- 
forms us, Timothy was buried . . . Nothing at Ephesus 
was so interesting as the remains of the theatre. It was 
here, that the multitude collected by Demetrius and his 
craftsmen excited the uproar which threw the whole 
city into confusion ; and the situation of the building 
affords illustration of that remarkable occurrence. The 
theatre, like other ancient structures of the same name, 
is seated on a deep declivity ; the seats having been 
formed, in successive tiers, on the slope of a lofty hill, 
and the whole building being open to the sky. I have 
no doubt that upwards of thirty thousand persons could 



168 



EPHESUS. 



have conveniently seated themselves in the theatre of 
Ephesus. Before them, they had a view of the most 
striking description. Across the market-place, and at 
no great distance, they beheld that splendid ' temple, 
which was one of the Seven Wonders of the World, and 
which was dedicated to the great goddess Diana, whom 




all Asia and the world worshipped. There can be little 
doubt that Demetrius would avail himself of the sight 
of this splendid object, to inflame to the highest pitch 
the passions of the multitude. 

" We may imagine their eyes fixed on this famous 
temple, and their hands directed towards it, while they 
all, with one voice, about the space of two hours, cried, out. 
- Great is Diana of the Ephesians ! 9 The very situation 
of the theatre would add to the tumult. On the left- 
hand, and at no great distance, are the steep and 
rocky sides of Mount Corissus ; forming a natural and 
lofty rampart, which completely shuts out all pro- 



EPHESUS. 



169 



spect in that quarter. The shouts of twenty thousand 
persons, striking against this mountain, would be re- 
echoed with reverberations, and not a little augment 
the uproar. The high situation of the theatre on Mount 
Prion, accounts also for the ease with which such an im- 
mense multitude was assembled. From every part of 
Ephesus, on that side, the inhabitants would have a 
view of the people rushing into the theatre, and taking 
their seats on that lofty elevation $ and would, of course, 
themselves run with impetuosity, to see and hear the 
cause of the assembly. Under these circumstances, it is 
by no means matter of wonder, that the attention of the 
town clerk was excited, and that he felt himself called 
on to interpose his authority. 

" Contrasting the state of Ephesus as we found it with 
the circumstances just alluded to, there was sufficient 
room for astonishment at the mighty change. The 
plough has passed over the site of the city ; and we saw 
the green corn growing, in all directions, amidst the for- 
saken ruins. While we were in the theatre, two large 
eagles perched at a small distance above us, and seemed 
to gaze on us with wonder, as if astonished at the face of 
man. The lines of Cowper seemed most appropriate : — 

{ They are so unacquainted with man, 
Their tameness is shocking to me.' 

" I shall not dwell on the buildings, which have been 
so often described by travellers . . . nor on the great 
beauty of the surrounding scenery. We may notice, how- 
ever, the supposed ruins of a Christian church, which 
may have been either the church of St. John or that of 
the Yirgin . . . 6 Here was perhaps held/ we said, 6 the 
General Council, so well known in Ecclesiastical History.' 

" On leaving Ephesus, my mind was very naturally 
occupied with the important Epistle which was once 
addressed to the Angel of this Church. (It) teaches (us) 
that it is possible to exhibit some brilliant parts of the 
Christian character, and to be distinguished for labour, 
for patience, for perseverance, and for other very excellent 



170 



EPHESUS. 



qualities, and yet to have a fatal malady commencing 
its attacks upon us, which threatens the very ruin of 
all our hopes. — Nevertheless I have somewhat against 
thee, because thou hast left thy first love ! How few are 
there, who do not feel the charge too applicable to them- 
selves ! But unless we call to remembrance the station 
from whence we are fallen, and repent, and do the first 
works, that intimation of the Divine displeasure which 
is here given, will not fail to be accomplished — ' I will 
come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick 
out of his place, unless thou repent.' The neglect of 
such an admonition, in the case of an individual, would 
involve consequences analogous to those which are more 
peculiarly threatened against a whole community : but, 
when an entire body of Christians, when a Christian 
Church, becomes guilty of this sin, the indignation of 
God is exhibited in the face of the world itself. At 
Ephesus we find, at present, only one individual who 
bears the name of Christ ! — And where, in the whole 
region, do we discover any semblance of primitive 
Christianity? The country oLce favoured with the 
presence of St. Paul, of Timothy, and St. John, is now 
in the situation of those lands, of which it is said, Dark- 
ness covers the earth, and gross darkness the people — he, 
then, that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit 
saith unto the Churches"—- Hartley's Researches. 



SMYRNA. 



171 




SMYENA. 

MODERN CITY—PRIESTS OE SMYRNA — CHURCH — MARTYRDOM OE A 
GREEK CHRISTIAN. 

SCRIPTURE NOTICE. 

"And unto the angel of the Church in Smyrna write; 
These things saith the first and the last, which was dead' 
and is alive ; I know thy works, and tribulation, and 
poverty (but thou art rich) and I know the blasph emv of 
them, which say they are Jews, and are not, but are 
the synagogue of Satan. Fear none of those things 
which thou shalt suffer : behold, the devil shall cast 
some of you into prison, that ye may be tried ; and ye 
shall have tribulation ten clays : be thou faithful unto 
death, and I will give thee a crown of life. He that 
hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the 
Churches ; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the 
second death." — Rev. ii. 8 11. 



172 



SMYRNA. 



" The most ancient city bearing this name was built 
in iEolia, 1139 years before Christ. It was great and 
opulent, but was at length destroyed by its enemies, and 
its population scattered among the surrounding villages, 
where they dwelt -100 years, around the ruins of their 
city. Alexander the Great (or, as others affirm, his 
immediate successors) collected them again together, 
and assembled them in one city, the Smyrna of the 
present day, built partly on the slopes of Mount Pagus, 
and partly on the plain which lies below it towards 
the sea, and distant about two miles and a half, or, 
according to Turkish calculation, three quarters of 
an hour. 

Ancient or ^Eolian Smyrna laid claim to the honour 
of being the birth-place of the great poet Homer, and 
with more reason than any other place which sought that 
distinction. 

u The accounts which follow, refer to the city of 
Alexander, in which a Christian Church was very early 
founded, as we learn from an epistle being addressed to 
it by the beloved disciple, whose peculiar care, amongst 
others, it seems to have been, and whose friend and 
disciple, Polycarp, was its first bishop. 

" Smyrna, a celebrated seaport of Ionia in Asia 
Minor, forty miles distant from Ephesus, ' is situated at 
the extremity of a bay of the Mediterranean^ bearing 
the name of the city, which is capable of containing the 
largest navy in the world, and of becoming the finest 
seaport in all Asia. ; 

u The present city lies at the foot of a lofty mountain, 
crowned with a castle, facing the bav, and commanding 
a prospect of no common beauty and grandeur. 6 The 
inland country in its neighbourhood is described as ex- 
tremely beautiful at different periods of the year ; the 
hyacinth, anemone, and ranunculus, bloom even on the 
road-sides, and colour the fields with their matchless 
tints, while the fruits of Asia are borne into its markets.' 
Ancient Smyrna was a magnificent city, celebrated as 



SMYRNA. 



173 



i the lovely,' 6 the ornament of Asia/ ' the crown of 
Ionia,' i the most beautiful city in the world.' (We read 
that it) rose to such a height, that none of the cities of 
present Europe are worthy to be compared with it. (Its 
mart, its buildings, its schools,) reached the highest step 
of mortal perfection." — See Scripture Gazetteer. Arun- 
dell's Researches in Asia Minor. 

" The entrance into the Gulf of Smyrna is one of the 
finest things in the world. The harbour is bold and ex- 
tensive ; it is guarded by a large fort, standing about 
two miles or so from the harbour. The town of Smyrna 
extends along the greater part of the bay, and has the 
appearance of great commercial activity. Most of the 
houses are built of wood, and, with their balconies and 
somewhat European roofs, give an appearance to the 
town very unlike that of the oriental towns and cities 
with which our eyes had been so long familiar ... In 
various parts, even amidst the buildings, there are fine 
plantations of cypresses, with their feathery spires of 
dark green, surrounding the many places of sepulture, 
and throwing a solemn and sombre shade over the other- 
wise animated scene. The town is flanked by noble 
ridges of bold rock and mountain, whose sweeping forms 
are as graceful as can be imagined ; and the town itself 
slopes down from a considerable distance to the brink of 
the bay. On the summit of the nearest and boldest 
mountain, stands a castle of large dimensions — a noble 
object in the picture. The plains which surround the 
approaches to the harbour are profusely covered with 
vines, fig and olive trees, growing in full luxuriance. 
The season for preserving raisins and figs had com- 
menced. Where we lay at anchor, the harbour presented 
an entire circle of rock, island, and city; and the sunset 
was unspeakably superb. We had not been long at 
anchor ere numerous boats surrounded the vessel, laden 
with fruits of various kinds, the produce of this far-famed 
spot ; delicious grapes of extraordinary size and sweet- 
ness, melons, figs, pears, &c. Besides these refreshing 



174 



SMYRNA. 



productions, we were served with various preparations of 
ice." — Fisk's Pastor's Memorial. 

u The first sight of Smyrna, especially when ap- 
proached by sea, must . . . produce a strong impression 
... It presents a picture of indescribable beauty . . . 
The heights of Mount Pagus and the plain beneath, 
covered with innumerable houses, the tiled roofs and 
painted balconies, the domes and minarets of mosques 
glowing and glittering with the setting sun ; the dark 
walls of the old fortress crowning the top of the moun- 
tain, and the still darker cypress groves below ; shipping 
of every form and country covering the bay beneath ; 
flags of every nation waving on the ships of war and 
over the houses of the consuls ; mountains on both sides 
of stupendous height and extraordinary outline . . . 
tinted with so strong a purple, that neither these nor 
the golden streaks on the water could safely be attempted 
to be represented by the artist. At the margin of the 
water on the right, meadows of the richest pasture, the 
velvet turf contrasted with the silvery olive, and covered 
with cattle and tents without number. All this will at 
once tell the traveller that he sees before him the city 
extolled by the ancients under the title of the lovely, the 
crown of Ionia, the ornament of Asia. It will remind 
the Christian that he is arrived at Smyrna, the Church 
favoured so much beyond all the other Churches of the 
Apocalypse : the only city retaining any comparison 
with its original magnificence. Ephesus, the mart of all 
nations, the boast of Ionia . . . has long dwelt in dark- 
ness, as though she had not been; the streams of her 
commerce, like her own numerous ports, are all dried 
up. Where once proconsuls sat at Laodicea, now sit 
the vulture and the jackal. At Sardis, where once a 
Solon reminded Croesus of his mortality, the solitary 
Cucuvaia awakens the same reflection ; and if Philadel- 
phia. Thyatira, and Pergamos, continue to exist, it is 
in a state of being infinitely degraded from that which 
they once enjoyed. Smyrna alone flourishes still; her 



SMYRNA. 



175 



temples and public edifices are no more ; but her opu- 
lence, extent, and population are certainly increased." — 
See Arundell's Researches in Asia Minor, 

u The immediate environs of Smyrna are interesting 
from the thick groves of cypress which adorn, with pen- 
sive beauty, the Turkish burial-grounds. I know of no 
church-yard in England which will bear a comparison 
with the cemeteries of Smyrna." — Hartley's Researches, 

" Few of the Ionian cities have furnished more relics 
of antiquity, or of greater merit, than Smyrna ; but the 
convenience of removing them, (and the many visits paid 
to them for this purpose, have caused even the very 
ruins to vanish) and it is now extremely difficult to 
determine the sites of any of the ancient buildings, with 
the exception of the stadium, theatre, and a temple 
within the Acropolis. 

" The castle encloses seven acres, but in its present 
state affords not many remnants of very ancient date ; the 
view from it is magnificent, and going down from its 
western gate towards the sea, at some distance, is the 
ground-plat of the stadium, stripped of its marble seats 
. . . Descending from the northern gateway, you come 
to the vestiges of a theatre in the side of the hill, 
said to be the largest in Asia — and most interesting to 
the Christian spectator as the scene of the martyrdom of 
the venerable Polycarp, supposed with reason to be the 
c angel ' of the Church of Smyrna, addressed by St. J ohn. 
At a short distance only is the supposed site of his tomb, 
and it is not improbable that it is the true one, for 
there is no just reason for believing that in any period 
since that event Smyrna was for any long time without 
some Christians competent and disposed to perpetuate 
the tradition. 

" The city wall, which, descending from the castle, 
included the stadium on the one hand and the theatre 
on the other, has been long since demolished, and even 
its ruins removed ..." 

Mr. Arundell mentions a spot on the road from 



176 



SMYEXA. 



Smyrna to Bournabat, at no great distance from the 
former, called now the Baths of Diana, and plentifully 
supplied with warm water. He " indulges in the sup- 
position, (not without reason) that in Christian times 
this beautiful crystal water may have been used as a 
baptistery for the catechumens of the Church of Smyrna ; 
if not in the days of Poly carp, a century or two later/' 
He also mentions the site of ( tf according to his belief'*) 
one of the earliest, if not first, Christian church ; that 
is, the earliest which was permitted to be erected, 
either at the time the empire became Christian, or pre- 
viously. £< It was probably the church of the beloved 
disciple, for it is at a short distance from the preseut 
church of St. John. Xumerous pillars are still erect, 
either entire or broken . . . 

tC The city of Smyrna had priests or pontiffs of a dis- 
tinguished rank, called Stephanephori, because they 
wore a crown of laurel, and sometimes one of gold, in 
the public ceremonies . . . Perhaps it was with refer- 
ence to this high dignity, that to the faithful member of 
the Church of Smyrna was promised 'a crown of life.'" 

Of modern Smyrna we may observe that its popula- 
tion is very great, and its ancient learning and buildings 
seem reviving. Even Christian knowledge is advancing, 
and Mr. Arundell mentions three ministers of the English 
Episcopal Church as labouring in the midst of her. It 
is said also that the condition of the Christians of Smyrna 
is better than any of the other of the seven Churches 
who may still retain some remnants of Christianity. 
And thus, though she has so often been destroyed, either 
partially or wholly, — by fire, earthquake, and plague, — 
yet has Smyrna survived all these visitations, and seems 
yet in a degree at least, to partake of the blessing 
which, when no fault was found in her, and no judg- 
ment denounced against her, was given — 'Fear none 
of those things which thou shalt suffer : be thou faithful 
unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.' " — See 
Arttndell's Researches in Asia Minor, 



SMYRNA. 



177 



Mr. Wilson writes, in his account of Smyrna : — 
" There is ... a most commodious church, with the 
British arms placed over the seat of the consul. Not 
having heard a sermon since I left Marseilles, I felt a 
delight which can he only appreciated hy those who have 
been long removed from our land of Gospel light, and 
can truly say, in the words of the Royal writer, ' I was 
glad to go into the house of the Lord.' " 

Mr. Wilson also narrates an interesting fact with 
which he became acquainted, viz. — the martyrdom of 
a Greek Christian, whose patient sufferings for the faith 
call to mind the brighter days of Smyrna, when her 
martyrs, with Polycarp at their head, endured with such 
constancy, and " were tortured, not accepting deliver- 
ance." 

" A Turk had prevailed by artifice upon a Greek 
Christian, twenty-four years of age, to enter his service, 
abandon his faith, and embrace the tenets of Maho- 
met, when he assumed the costume of a Mussul- 
man. On the expiration of his engagement, the Greek 
departed for Mount Athos in Macedonia, and was absent 
about twelve months, when he returned to Smyrna ; 
but his conscience having reproached him for the act of 
apostasy of which he had been guilty, he proceeded to the 
Turkish judge, threw down his turban, declared he had 
been deceived, and would still live and die a Christian. 
Every effort was made to prevail on him to continue in 
the principles of Mahomedanism, by offering him great 
rewards if he did, and threatening him with the severest 
penalties if he did not. The Greek, having rejected 
every bribe, was thrust into a dungeon and tortured, 
which he bore most heroically, and was then led forth 
in public, to be beheaded, with his hands tied behind his 
back. The place of execution was a platform opposite 
to one of the principal mosques, where a blacksmith, 
armed with a cimeter, stood ready to perform the dread- 
ful operation. To the astonishment of the surrounding 
multitude, this did not shake his fortitude; and although 



178 



SMYRNA. 



he was told that it would be quite sufficient if he merely 
declared he was not a Christian, rather than do so he 
chose to die. Still entertaining a hope that the young 
man might retract, especially when the instrument of 
death was exhibited, these offers were again and again 
pressed upon him, but without effect. The executioner 
was then ordered to peel off with his sword, part of the 
skin of his neck. The fortitude and strong faith of this 
Christian, who expressed the most perfect willingness to 
suffer, enabled him to reach that highest elevation of 
apostolic triumph, evinced by rejoicing in tribulation; 
when, looking up stedfastly to heaven, like the martyr 
Stephen, he loudly exclaimed, i I was born with Jesus, 
and shall die with Jesus and bringing to recollection 
the exclamation of that illustrious martyr in the cause 
of his Divine Master, Polycarp, in this very place, he 
added, ' I have served Christ, and how can I revile my 
King who has kept me ! ' On pronouncing these words, 
his head was struck off at once . . . The head was then 
placed under the left arm, (after a Mahomedan is be- 
headed, the head is placed under the right arm, and in 
this manner he is interred,) and, with the body, re- 
mained on the scaffold three days exposed to public- 
view, after which the Greeks were permitted to bury it. 
This was the third instance of the kind which occurred 
within the last twenty years. . . . When we read this 
history of Christian faith and constancy, so closely 
resembling and coming up to the measure of primitive 
grace and patience, and then reflect that these things 
happened in Smyrna in our own day, nearly 1 800 years 
after the Epistle to that Church was written ; when 
again we remember the words of that Epistle — its com- 
mendation, (free from all reproof,) its encouragement to 
perseverance, and promise of reward, and then turn to 
the other Churches, and see their desolation, and the 
darkness which covers them, — we can hardly fail to be 
struck with the faithfulness of God's word, and to feel 
that yet the blessing lingers over Smyrna, ' Fear none 



179 



PERGAM0S. 



of those things which thou shalt suffer : be thou faithful 
unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.' " — See 
Rae Wilson's Travels. 




PEBGAMOS. 

ANCIENT LIBRARY — CITADEL — ANTIQUITIES — POPULATION — GREEK 
MILLER — GREEK CHURCH AND SCHOOL. 

SCRIPTURE NOTICE. 

" And to the angel of the Church in Pergamos write, 
These things saith He which hath the sharp sword with 
two edges ; I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, 
even where Satan's seat is : and thou holdest fast my 
name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days 
wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain 
among you, where Satan dwelleth. But I have a few things 
against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the 
doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumbling- 



180 



PERGAMOS. 



block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed 
unto idols, and to commit fornication. So hast thou also 
them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which 
thing I hate. Repent, or else I will come unto thee 
quickly, and will fight against thee with the sword of my 
mouth. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the 
Spirit saith unto the Churches ; to him that over- 
cometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will 
give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name 
written, which no man knoweth, saving he that receiveth 
it»—Eev. ii. 12—17. 



Pergamos, a celebrated city of Mysia, in Asia Minor, 
and for 150 years the capital of a powerful and indepen- 
dent kingdom of the same name, is situated about sixty- 
four miles north-west of Smyrna. It was the residence of 
the Attalian kings, and a famous seat of eastern learning, 
having a noble library containing 200,000 volumes. The 
advantages of its situation, near the sea, and commanding 
an extensive plain, rendered it a place of great import- 
ance. 

The acropolis, or citadel (which was always the most 
ancient part, and the stronghold of Grecian and Roman 
cities), stands on a hill 200 feet above the plain, now 
crowned with its ruins, amongst which those of a castle 
or fortress resembling those at Smyrna and Ephesus, 
covering the whole summit, and including about eight 
acres, stand prominent. It was built in the more pro- 
sperous times of Pergamos, though much of its present 
form is of a later date. The town afterwards became 
more extended, and the modern one lies in part on the 
slope of the hill, but principally in the plain. 

Among the antiquities of Pergamos may be mentioned 
the remains of a spacious area, upon which once rose a 
temple unrivalled in sublimity of situation, being visible 
from the vast plain and the Mediterranean sea. Its 
columns now lie in a lofty heap. 



PERGAMOS. 



181 



With a descent almost perpendicular on the north 
and west sides, is a very narrow valley, with a rivulet, 
over which, at one extremity, the great aqueduct of one 
row of lofty arches is constructed ; and, at the other, a 
pile of massive buildings, which filling the whole breadth 
of the valley, was the front and grand entrance into an 
extensive amphitheatre . . . the most complete edifice 
of the kind in Asia Minor. Here, at times, by retain- 
ing the waters of the rivulet, a Naumachia, or place for 
the exhibition of a mock sea-fight, was formed ; while at 
others, when the arena was dry, and the stream confined 
within its narrow bounds, it was used for chariot, 
gymnastic, and other exercises. Of the site of the 
royal palace of King Attalus, celebrated for its beautiful 
prospect (and therefore probably occupying an elevated 
and commanding position), nothing can be positively 
asserted. 

Once there was at Pergamos the celebrated temple of 
Esculapius, which was also an asylum • and the concourse 
of individuals to which was without number or cessation. 
They passed the night there to invoke the false deity, 
who communicated remedies either in dreams or by the 
mouth of his priests, who distributed drugs and per- 
formed surgical operations. The Roman emperor 
Caracalla repaired to Pergamos for the recovery of his 
health, but Esculapius was unmoved by his prayers. 
Pergamos is emphatically described in the Revelation 
as the place " where Satan's seat is and it is singular 
that on the Pergamean coins a serpent is engraved 
as an emblem of their tutelary divinity ; thus affording 
an analogy to the old Serpent, the dragon, as Satan is 
termed in Scripture. 

The subsequent history of the Church of Pergamos 
is little known. It shared the fate of its sister Churches, 
and had its own share of persecution, until the time of 
Constantine. For several centuries its bishop continued 
to attend the Councils of the Church ... at length all 
traces of it disappeared. 



182 



PERGAMOS. 



The threat against it has been almost literally fulfilled, 
but still its candlestick has not been removed out of its 
place, like that of Ephesus. Pergamos has, in a measure 
at least, been saved from destruction ; and though in the 
midst of a blindness and poverty sadly contrasted with 
her former privileged condition under the first rays of 
Gospel light, and amid the treasures of unperverted 
truth, a portion of her inhabitants still preserve the 
Christian name and worship. 

Mr. Arundell thinks the Christian population of this 
city has much increased of late, — that of the whole city 
he considers underrated at fifteen thousand ; of which 
fifteen hundred are Greeks, two hundred are Armenians 
— who have a church — and about a hundred Jews, with a 
synagogue : all the rest are Mahomedans. — See Scripture 
Gazetteer, and Aruxdell's Visit to the Seven Churches. 

" The grand plain of Pergamos," writes Mr. Arundell, 
" was in full view before us ... In the front distance 
rose the majestic acropolis of Pergamos. We arrived 
at a mill soon after, and remained there a short time. 
The miller, a Greek, came up to me, as, seated under a 
tree, with Pergamos before me, I was reading the mes- 
sage to the angel of that Church, in the Greek Testament. 
The poor man earnestly begged me to give him some 
medical assistance : he looked wretchedly ill, and was 
evidently in a deep decline. I gave him what advice I 
could, accompanied by a medicine of great efficacy — the 
book which I was reading. The poor fellow received it 
most gratefully, lamenting that he could not read him- 
self, but he had children, he said, who should read it to 
him ... Towards evening a busy scene presented 
itself in the plain on both sides of the road : numerous 
ploughs worked by buffaloes ; maize and dari collecting 
in heaps; and in other places men, women, and children, 
employed among green crops ... At a quarter past six 
we arrived at Pergamos : the setting sun threw its 
strong shadows on the stupendous rock of the acropolis 
and the mountain behind it. The country, immediately 



PERGAMOS. 183 

before entering the town, was of an unpromising aspect, 
rocky and bare of trees ; and in the winter must be very 
desolate, from the greater part of the low ground being 
covered with water. As we passed, however, under the 
arches of a bridge, and thence through a burial ground, 
the view improved much, from the abundance of cypresses, 
poplars, and other trees. On entering the town, now 
nearly dark, I was struck by some enormously high 
masses of walls on the left, strongly contrasting with the 
diminutive houses beneath and around them. I heard, 
subsequently, that they are the remains of the Church of 
the Agios Theologos, or St. John. 

" Thursday, Sept. 21st. — I accompanied a Greek 
priest to his church, the only church at present in 
Pergamos ; it lies on the ascent of the castle hill, and is 
a poor shed, covered with earth. Though the sun was 
blazing in full splendour on all the scene without, this 
poor church was so dark within, that, even with the aid 
of a glimmering lamp, I could not distinctly see the 
figures on the screen. On one side of it another priest 
kept a little school of thirty scholars. I gave him a 
Testament. The contrast between the magnificent re- 
mains of the church of St. John, which lay beneath, and 
this its poor representative, is as striking as between the 
poverty of the present state of religion among the modern 
Greeks, and the rich abundance of Gospel light which 
once shone within the walls of the Agios Theologos." — 
Arundell's Visit, &c. 



184 



THYATIRA. 




THYATIRA. 

APPROACH TO THE CITY — MODERN* THTATIEA — TE^Y ANCIENT REMAINS — 
PLXE "WATER — SCARLET DTE. 

SCRIPTURE NOTICE. 

a AxD unto the angel of the Church in Thvatira 
write ; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his 
eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine 
brass ; I know thy works, and charity, and service, and 
faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to 
be more than the first. Notwithstanding, I have a few 
things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman, 
J ezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and 
to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat 
things sacrificed unto idols. And I gave her space to 
repent of her fornication, and she repented not. Behold, 
I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery 



THYATIRA. 



185 



with her into great tribulation, except they repent of 
their deeds. And I will kill her children with death, 
and all the Churches shall know that I am He which 
searcheth the reins and hearts ; and I will give unto 
every one of you according to your works. But unto 
you I say, arid unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have 
not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths 
of Satan, as they speak ; / will put upon you none other 
burden. But that which ye have already hold fast till 
I come. And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works 
unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations : 
and he shall rule them with a rod of iron ; as the vessels 
of a potter shall they be broken to shivers, even as I re- 
ceived of my Father. And I will give him the morning- 
star. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit 
saith unto the Churches."— Rev. ii. 18 — end, 



" We entered the magnificent plain of Thyatira. In 
about an hour and a half afterwards we reached Ak-his- 
sar, the ancient Thyatira, and alighted at a khan, mag- 
nificent for its extent, called the ( Cotton Khan.' 

" The appearance of Thyatira, as we approached it, 
was that of a very long line of cypresses, poplars, and 
other trees, amidst which appeared the minarets of 
several mosques, and the roofs of a few houses at the 
right. On the left, a view of distant hills, the line of 
which continued over the town ; and at the right, ad- 
joining the town, was a low hill, with two ruined wind- 
mills . 

" Thyatira is a large place, and abounds with shops of 
every description. The population is estimated at three 
hundred Greek houses . . . thirty Armenian, and one 
thousand Turkish; nine mosques, one Armenian, and 
one Greek church. We visited the latter ; it was a 
wretchedly poor place, and so much under the level of 
the churchyard as to require five steps to descend into 
it . . . We intended to give the priest a Testament, but 
he seemed so insensible of its worth that we reserved it, 



186 



THYATIRA. 



as it was our only remaining copy, and bestowed it. 
afterwards, much better. . . 

Very few of the ancient buildings remain here j 
one we saw, which seems to have been a market- 
place, having six pillars sunk very low in the ground. 
. . . We could not find any ruins of churches ; and, 
inquiring of the Greeks about it, they told us there 
were several great buildings of stone under ground, 
(which we were very apt to believe, from what we had 
observed in other places,) where, digging somewhat deep, 
they met with strong foundations, that without all 
question have formerly supported great buildings. I 
find, by several inscriptions, that the inhabitants of this 
city, as well as those of Ephesus, were, in the times of 
heathenism, great votaries and worshippers of the goddess 
Diana. The city has a very great convenience of water, 
which streams in every street, flowing from a neighbour- 
ing hill ... it is populous, inhabited mostly by Turks, 
. . . few Christians residing amonp: them ; those 
Armenians we found here being strangers who came 
hither to sell sashes, handkerchiefs, (tc. which they 
bring out of Persia. They are maintained chiefly by 
the trade of cotton wool, which they send to Smyrna, for 
which commodity Thyatira is very considerable." "It 
is this trade," says By cant, " the crystalline waters, 
cool and sweet to the taste and light on the stomach, 
the wholesome air, the rich and delightful country, 
which cause this city so to flourish in our days, and to 
be more happy than her other desolate and comfortless 
sisters." — See Artjndell's Visit, <kc. 



" Thyatira, April 27, 1826. — I have now the favour 
to write in the sixth of the Seven Churches. On the way, 
we observed many columns and antiquities, notifying 
an ancient town. Mr. Arundell discovered an inscrip- 
tion, containing the words, c Trom Thyatira.'' Ak- 
hissar, the modern Thyatira, is situated on a plain, and 
is embosomed in cypresses and poplars. The buildings 



THYATIRA. 



187 



are in general mean ; but the khan in which we are at 
present residing is, by far, the best which I have yet 
seen . . . The language addressed to Thyatira is rather 
different from that of the other epistles. The commenda- 
tions are scarcely surpassed even in the epistle to Phila- 
delphia, while the conduct of some was impious and 
profligate. The Church thus exhibited a contrast of the 
most exalted piety with the very depths of Satan. In too 
many parts of Christendom we observe a similar state of 
things, even at this day ; how important, then, the admo- 
nition, 'That which ye have already, hold fast till I come !' 

" And this language is not only designed for those 
who have recently been brought to the knowledge of 
Christianity ; it is a caution very needful for those who 
have long been acquainted with its infinite value. The 
great danger to Christians is rather after a perse- 
verance of some years, than in the commencement 
of their Christian career. When religion appears to 
have become habitual, we are in more danger of being 
thrown off our guard, than when we have just been 
awakened to observe its great importance and our own 
weakness. Let the follower of Christ be therefore 
especially careful, lest he lose his crown after he has 
won many victories. Let the joy which he feels under 
the conviction that he is approaching nearer to the end 
of all his wishes, be ever tempered with the recollection 
that he is still possessed of a heart which is 6 deceitful 
above all things and desperately wicked,' and that he is 
still encompassed by 'a world which liethin wickedness.' 
When the disposition of fearing always is united to the 
character of watchfulness, courage, and simple depend- 
ence on the Divine aid, then will be realized obedience 
to the caution, - Hold fast that which ye have.' 

" The address to the unfaithful part of the Church at 
Thyatira is at once alarming and inviting. It contains 
one of those many denunciations of Divine anger, which 
place it beyond all doubt that God will by no means 
clear the guilty. Nothing will save them from the in- 



188 



THYATIRA. 



dignation of Him, who has revealed himself as a con- 
suming fire to the wicked. 

" The sacred writer of the Acts of the Apostles informs 
us, that Lydia was a seller of purple in the city of Thy- 
atira ; and the discovery of an inscription here, which 
makes mention of ' the dyers,' has been considered im- 
portant in connexion with this passage. I know not 
if other travellers have remarked, that, even at the pre- 
sent time, Thyatira is famous for dyeing. In answer to 
inquiries on this subject, I was informed that the cloths 
which are dyed scarlet here, are considered superior to 
any others furnished by Asia Minor ; and that large 
quantities are sent weekly to Smyrna, for the purposes 
of commerce . . . Xear Thyatira we still find very beau- 
tiful vegetation ; the neighbourhood has a most fertile 
appearance. A white species of rose is extremely abun- 
dant, and scents the air with a most delightful odour." 
— See Hartley's Researches, 





SARDIS. 



189 




SARDIS. 

TEMPLE OF CYBELE— NOTICES OF SAUDIS, ANCIENT AND MODERN- 
ACROPOLIS— UIVER HERMUS— SAD STATE OF RELIGION AMONG THE 
GREEK CHRISTIANS. 

SCRIPTURE NOTICE. 

" And unto the angel of the Church in Sardis write : 
These things saith He that hath the seven Spirits of 
God, and the Seven stars ; I know thy works, that thou 
hast a name that thou livest and art dead. Be watchful, 
and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready 
to die ; for I have not found thy works perfect before 
God. Remember, therefore, how thou hast received and 
heard ; and hold fast, and repent. If, therefore, thou 
shalt not watch, / will come on thee as a thief, and thou 
shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. Thou 
hast a few names even in Sardis which have not denied 
their garments ; and they shall walk with me in white, 
for they are worthy. He that overcometh, the same 



190 



SARDIS. 



shall be clothed in white raiment ; and I will not blot 
out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess 
his name before my Father, and before his angels. He 
that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto 
the Churches." — Rev. iii. 1 — 6. 



Sardis is about eight hours' distance from Philadelphia. 
Mr. Hartley writes in his Journal : — " This morning I 
have visited Sardis, once the splendid capital of Lydia, 
the famous residence of Croesus, the resort of Persian 
monarchs, and one of the most ancient and magnificent 
cities of the world. Now, how fallen ! The ruins are, 
with one exception, more entirely gone to decay than 
those of most of the ancient cities which we have visited. 
No Christians reside on the spot ; two Greeks only work 
in a mill here, and a few wretched Turkish huts are 
scattered among the ruins. We saw the churches of St. 
John and the Virgin, the theatre, and the building styled 
the palace of Croesus ; but the most striking object at 
Sardis is the temple of Cybele. I was filled with wonder 
and awe at beholding the two stupendous columns of 
this edifice, which are still remaining ; they are silent 
but impressive witnesses of the power and splendour of 
antiquity. I read, amidst the ruins, the epistle addressed 
to the Church once fixed here. What an impressive 
warning to Christian churches ! A name to live while 
dead ! Is not the state of religion in Britain precisely 
such as to threaten punishment like that which has 
befallen Sardis ? A certain portion of religion is at 
present popular ; the world approximates a certain dis- 
tance towards religion ; and many persons who would 
pass for religious seem disposed to advance at least half 
w r ay towards the world. Does not this neglect of watch- 
fulness end in many defiling their garments ? And if 
this negligence does not give place to remembrance, and 
repentance, and to a strengthening of the things which 
remain and are ready to die, the consequences will be 



SARDIS. 



191 



equally fatal. May God preserve us from the fate of 
Sardis !" — Hartley's Researches, 

6i The appearance of the hill of the acropolis, from 
the opposite bank of the Hermus, is that of a triangular 
insulated hill ; close at the back of which rise ridge 
after ridge of mountains, the most elevated covered with 
snow. On approaching close to it, the hill, as well as 
most of the mountains at the back, are perceived to be 
of a reddish sandstone, and those at the west especially, 
as well as the acropolis itself, of the most extraordinary 
and fantastic outline : the crumbling nature of the 
sandstone will in part account for this • but a more 
satisfactory solution will be found in the terrible earth- 
quakes which have so often changed the face of Asia 
Minor, raising . . . valleys into mountains, and depress- 
ing mountains into valleys. Certainly no inferior agency 
can account for the jagged and distorted forms of the 
peaks of Mount Tmolus, for a considerable distance from 
Sardis towards Smyrna. 

" Sardis, the capital of Lydia, identified with the names 
of Croesus, and Cyrus, and Alexander, and covering the 
plain with her thousands of inhabitants and tens of thou- 
sands of men of war — great even in the days of Augustus ; 
— ruined by earthquakes, and restored to its importance 
by the munificence of Tiberius ; — Christian Sardis, offer- 
ing her hymns of thanksgiving for deliverance from 
Pagan persecution, in the magnificent temples of the 
Virgin and Apostle ; — Sardis, again fallen under the 
yoke of a false religion, but still retaining her numerous 
population and powerful defence only five hundred 
years ago ; — what is Sardis now ? ' Her foundations 
are fallen ; her walls are thrown down.' 6 She sits 
silent in darkness, and is no longer called the Lady of 
Kingdoms.' e How doth the city sit solitary, that was 
full of people ! ' A few mud huts, inhabited by Turkish 
herdsmen, and a mill or two, contain all the present 
population of Sardis. The only members of the Church 
of Sardis are two Greek servants to the Turkish miller; 



192 



SARDIS. 



and how little operative the spirit of primitive Christi- 
anity is. on one at least of these men, will be subsequently 
shown. 

" The acropolis is of extremely difficult and dan- 
gerous ascent, and the few walls at its summit, on which 
are an inscription or two, and some ancient fragments . . . 
would not compensate for the risk and fatigue; the 
view, is, however, magnificent . . . 

" In my first visit to Sardis, last December, I was 
accompanied by some naval friends ; one of whom, with 
the fearlessness so characteristic of a British sailor, 
mounted to the top of a high but narrow fragment, 
considerably out of perpendicular, and inclining over 
that tremendous precipice which Croesus neglected to 
guard, as believing it to be wholly inaccessible; the 
fragment was undermined by many a perforation be- 
neath, and at the top the whole crumbled under the 
touch like dust . . . 

u Of the temple of Cybele, only two pillars remain at 
present ; the Turks have recently destroyed the rest, 
for the sake of the lead connecting the blocks. It is 
impossible to behold these magnificent columns . . . 
without being inexpressibly affected. Colonel Leake 
believes these to be antecedent to the capture of Sardis 
by Cyrus, and yet the columns are as perfect as if erected 
yesterday ! The objects of greatest interest to the Chris- 
tian traveller are the ruins of two churches ; one at the 
back of the mill, said to be the church of the Virgin, 
and another in front of it, called the church of St. John. 
Of the former there are considerable remains, and it is 
almost wholly constructed with magnificent fragments 
of earlier edifices . . . of the other, there are several stone 
piers having fragments of brick arches above them, and 
standing east and west. When Smith wrote, a Christian 
church . . . was appropriated to the service of the mosque. 

" A theatre, and stadium connected with it, are dis- 
tinguishable under the northern brow of the acropolis, 
but the remains are few . . . 



SAUDIS. 



193 



" Of the supposed Gerusia, called also the House of 
Croesus, which lies in the plain ... I measured the 
first room ... it was a hundred and fifty-six feet long, 
by forty-two and a half wide ; and the walls, celebrated 
for the durability of the bricks, were ten feet and a half 
thick. Might not this have been the Gymnasium 1 

" There are some other remains, built of very massy 
stones, now much corroded by age . . . near a small 
stream, one of the branches of the (river) Pactolus which 
runs down into the Hermus. These remains appear to 
have been oblong apartments . . . the bed of the adjoining 
stream and the stones are not golden at present, but of 
a dark . ♦ . colour, as if containing iron. Mineralogists 
are, I believe, agreed that most of the auriferous 1 sands 
in all parts of the world are of a black or reddish colour, 
and are consequently ferruginous. 2 It was observed by 
Reaumur that the sand which accompanies the gold of 
most rivers is composed of particles of iron, and small 
grains of rubies and hyacinth. 

" Previous to quitting Sardis, I was deeply affected 
by an instance of bad principle in one of the two Chris- 
tians at Sardis. I was anxious to send a letter to 
Smyrna, and requested this man simply to forward it 
by one of the numerous caravans, which are almost 
hourly passing before the mill door, and, as an induce- 
ment, offered to give him a Greek Testament. I had 
made the same man a present last December. He flatly 
and surlily refused to do it ; while a Turk, who acci- 
dentally came in at the moment, voluntarily offered to 
convey it, and he was as good as his word. 

" We left Sardis, and crossed the plain in an oblique 
direction, north-west, towards the Hermus, to ford the 
ferry. We arrived at the river, having crossed an ex- 
tensive burial ground on our way, full of fragments . . . 
The ferry boat was destroyed; no alternative remained 
but to ford the river, or return to Smyrna without 

1 Producing: gold. 

2 Partaking of particles and qualities of iron. 





194 



SARDIS. 



seeing Thyatira. It was very broad, and looked very 
formidable. While we were hesitating, a fine Turkish 
lad of eighteen came up to us, and, unsolicited, offered 
to be our guide. He accompanied us to the brink of 
the river a short way below, and pointed out the fording- 
place. The surigee plunged in, but before he had reached 
a quarter of the way across, he became terrified, and 
returned. The young Turk instantly mounted one of 
the horses, and rode in before us. It was providentially 
not so deep or rapid as to throw the horses off their legs, 
though very broad, and we reached the opposite bank in 
safety, though sufficiently wet. We offered some money 
to our guide, who had earned it so well, but, with a gene- 
rosity which formed a most striking contrast to the 
conduct of the Christian at Sardis, he positively refused 
to take a para ! After crossing the Hermus, our course 
was due north, by a very gradual ascent to a village, 
close to which our further advance in that direction 
was arrested by a narrow but deep morass, and we were 
compelled to return some way to find a sort of bridge on 
the right. Crossing it . . . we had on our right a large 
oblong elevation, squared like an entrenchment, behind 
which rose the top of the enormous tumulus of Haly- 
attes, the Gygeean lake lying beyond it, though not just 
then in view. Our road was now through an extensive 
and open, though not level country, covered with innu- 
merable tumuli ; the larger number of stupendous size. 
It gave a powerful but affecting impression of the 
once mighty metropolis of the empire of Lydia ; but 
even the population of that great city, and the countless 
hosts of Lydians and Persians, and Greeks and Eomans, 
which fought and fell in the plains before it, were 
scarcely sufficient to account for the multitude of these 
astonishing monuments. Perhaps, like the mummy 
plains in Egypt, this might be a place of interment 
of peculiar sanctity, not for the metropolis only, but 
the whole province. That a temple of Diana . . . once 
existed near the spot, reputed of great sanctity, gives 



SARDIS. 



195 



plausibility to the conjecture. The remains of the 
temple no longer exist, and the/ princes' of Lydia, her 
wise men, her captains, and ' her rulers and her mighty 
men,' sleep a perpetual sleep." — Arundell's Visit, &c. 

Mr. Arundell subsequently mentions, that whilst 
at a place called Adala, near Sardis, he found in a 
small church, resorted to by the neighbouring Greeks, 
on Sundays, a single Greek at his devotions. " I invited 
him to my room, and offered him a Testament ; but he 
was quite indifferent to the offer, and in effect actually 
refused it, though he knew it to be the Gospel, and 
understood me when I read to him the fourth chapter 
of St. John. I then requested him to give it to the 
priest for the use of the church. He declined to do so, 
and I was obliged to leave it myself in the church. So 
near Sardis, only five hours distant, and little more 
from Philadelphia, in so little estimation is the word of 
God held !" — Arttndell's Visit, &c. 

Visiting Sardis at a subsequent period, Mr. Arun- 
dell writes : " We . . . were dismounted at the door of 
the Cafe of Vourkanle . . . Every Turkish name has 
its signification ; and Vourkanle . . . means much blood- 
shedding ; a very likely and appropriate name for a 
place in the plains of Sardis, where so much blood has 
been shed in every period of history . . . Three large 
tumuli, 1 which lay on the right of the road (soon after) 
were incontestable evidences that much blood had been 
shed, and the thousands that fell now mingle their dust 
in peace . . . 

" The acropolis of Sardis (was now) rising before us 
. . . and the soft sandstone rock distorted and rent . . . 
perhaps by . . . earthquakes. 

" With our eyes fixed on this crumbling monument 
of the grandeur and nothingness of man, and looking in 
vain for the city, whose multitudes lie under the count- 
less sepulchral hillocks on the other side of the Hermus, 
we arrived at what was once the metropolis of Lydia. 

1 Sepulchral monuments. 



196 



SAUDIS. 



" If I should be asked what impresses the mind most 
strongly on beholding Sardis, I should say, its inde- 
scribable solitude, like the darkness in Egypt, darkness 
that could be felt. So the deep solitude of the spot, 
once the ' lady of kingdoms/ produces a corresponding 
feeling of desolate abandonment in the mind, which can 
never be forgotten. 

" Connect this feeling with the message of the Apoca- 
lypse to the Church of Sardis, 6 Thou hast a name that 
thou livest, and art dead ; I will come on thee as a 
thief ; and thou shalt not know which hour I will come 
upon thee / — and then look round aod ask, Where are 
the churches, where are the Christians of Sardis ? The 
tumuli beyond the Hermus reply, c All dead ! ' suffer- 
ing the infliction of the threatened judgment of God, 
for the abuse of their privileges. Let the unbeliever 
then be asked, Is there no truth in prophecy 1 no reality 
in religion ? 

" We walked along the banks of the famed (river) 
Pactolus, and thence to the two remaining pillars of 
the temple of Cybele, one of the oldest monuments at 
present existing in the world, and erected only three 
hundred years after the temple of Solomon ... It is 
remarkable, that the Turks call (a) branch of the Pac- 
tolus by a name signifying the - river of riches/ 
preserving the tradition of the ^oZdm-streamed Pac- 
tolus." — Arundell's Researches in Asia Minor. 

" On reaching Sardis, we found," writes Mr. Fisk, 
66 some difficulty in procuring a lodging ; at length we 
put up in a hut occupied by a Turk. It was about ten 
feet square ; the walls of earth, the roof of bushes and 
poles covered with soil, and grass growing on it. There 
was neither chair, table, bed, nor floor in the habitation. 
The Turk seemed to live principally by his pipe and 
his coffee. The next morning (Sunday) we took some 
tracts and a Testament, and went to a mill near us, 
where three or four Greeks live. Found one of them 
grinding grain. Another soon came in. Both were 



SAUDIS. 



197 



able to read. We read to them the address to the 
Church in Sardis, and then the account of the day of 
judgment, (Matt, xxv.) Conversed with them about 
what we read, and then spoke of the Lord's-day, and 
endeavoured to explain its design, and gave them some 
tracts. We had our usual forenoon service in the 
upper part of the mill ; and could not refrain from 
weeping, while we sung the seventy-fourth Psalm, and 
prayed among the ruins of Sardis. Here were once a 
few names which had not defiled their garments; aod 
they are now walking with their Redeemer in w T hite. 
But alas ! the Church, as a body, had only a name 
to live, while they were in reality dead ; and they did 
not hear the voice of merciful admonition, and did not 
' strengthen the things which were ready to die.' Where- 
fore the candlestick has been removed out of its place . . . 
Our eye has affected our hearts, while we beheld around 
us the ruins of this once splendid city, with nothing 
now to be seen but a few mud huts, inhabited by igno- 
rant, stupid, filthy Turks ; and the only men who bear 
the Christian name, at work all day in their mill. 
Everything seems as if God had cursed the place, and 
left it to the dominion of Satan." — Memoir of Rev. 
Pliny Fisk. 



198 



PHILADELPHIA. 




PHILADELPHIA.. 

NUMEROUS POPULATION — THEIR IGNORANCE AND DARKNESS — THE 
TURTLE DOVE— BISHOP OE PHILADELPHIA — " CITY OE GOD"— ANTI- 
QUITIES— TESTIMONY OE AN LNEIDEL. 

SCRIPTURE NOTICE. 

" And to the angel of the Church in Philadelphia 
write ; These things saith He that is holy, He that is 
true, He that hath the key of David. He that openeth, 
and no man shutteth ; and shutteth, and no man 
openeth ; I know thy works : behold, I have set before 
thee an open door, and no man can shut it : for thou 
hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast 
not denied my name. Behold, I will make them of the 
synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are 



PHILADELPHIA. 



199 



not, but do lie ; behold, I will make them to come and 
worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved 
thee. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, 
I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which 
shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell 
upon the earth. Behold, I come quickly ; hold that 
fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. 
Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the tem- 
ple of my God, and he shall go no more out : and I will 
write upon him the name of my God, and the name of 
the city of my God, which is New Jerusalem, which 
cometh down out of Heaven from my God, and I will 
write upon him my new name. He that hath an ear, let 
him hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches." — 
Rev. iii. 7—13. 



" As we drew near Philadelphia, I read with much in- 
terest the epistle to that Church. The town is situated on 
arising ground, beneath the snowy Mount Tmolus. The 
houses are embosomed in trees, which have just assumed 
their fresh green foliage, and give a beautiful effect to 
the scene. I counted six minarets. We entered through 
a ruined wall ; massy, but by no means of great anti- 
quity. The streets are excessively ill paved and dirty. 
The tear of Christian pity must fall over modern Phila- 
delphia. Were Christ himself to visit it, would he not 
weep over it, as once over Jerusalem 1 Alas ! the gene- 
ration of those who kept the word of our Lord's patience 
is gone by ; and here, as in too many other parts of the 
Christian vineyard, it is difficult to discover better 
fruits than those which are afforded by briars and 
brambles ! It is indeed an interesting circumstance to 
find Christianity more flourishing here than in many 
other parts of the Turkish empire. There is still a 
numerous Christian population, occupying eight hundred 
houses. Divine Service is performed every Sunday in 
five churches ; and there are twenty of a smaller 



200 



PHILADELPHIA. 



description, in which, once a year, the Liturgy^is read. 
But though the candlestick remains, its light is obscured : 
the lamp still exists, but where is its oil % "Where 
is now the word of our Lord's patience] — it is conveyed 
in sounds unintelligible to those who hear. When the 
very epistle to their own Church is read, they under- 
stand it not ! The word of legendary superstition and 
of multifarious will-worship is now more familiar to 
their ears. And where is the bright exhibition of 
Christian virtues % Unhappily the character of Christians 
in these countries will scarcely bear comparison with that 
of Mahomedans themselves ! In a word, Philadelphia 
has had her share in that utter apostasy from true and 
practical Christianity which has been the bane of the 
East. Grievous wolves have entered in, not sparing the 
flock. There have been false teachers among them, who 
privily have brought in damnable heresies, even denying 
the Lord that bought them : and many have followed 
their pernicious ways, by reason of whom the way of 
truth is evil spoken of . . . 

" We have just ascended the ancient acropolis, a 
hill above the city, which commands a most extensive 
prospect. Below is the town, surrounded by its wall 
and embosomed in trees. 

"We see this interesting place to peculiar advantage. 
For several days, we have been contending with rain, 
cold, and adverse weather : but to-day, on arriving at 
Philadelphia, lo ! ' the winter is past, the rain is over 
and gone, the flowers appear on the earth, the time of 
the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the 
turtle is heard in the land.' The voice of the turtle 
charmed me greatlv, during our stav here. This favourite 
bird is so tame, that it flies about the streets, and comes 
up close to our door in the khan. The remains of an- 
tiquity at Philadelphia are not numerous. I have 
noticed a few beautiful sarcophagi, now devoted to the 
purpose of troughs . . . 

" Our visit to Philadelphia was rendered the more 



PHILADELPHIA. 



201 



interesting, by the circumstance of our being the bishop's 
visitors. He pressed us so strongly to make his house 
our home, that we thought it right to comply with his 
wishes. Many of his remarks afforded us satisfaction. 
The Bible he declared to be the only foundation of all 
religious belief. . . and that i abuses have entered into 
the Church, which former ages might endure, but the 
present must put them down' . . . The Christian popula- 
tion he considered to be on the increase at Philadelphia. 
... In the evening, we attended the metropolitan church ; 
but to give a true account of the sad degradation of 
Christian worship exhibited on this occasion, would be 
equally difficult and painful. We were highly pleased 
with the engaging manner of Panaretos. His house, 
also, which is termed, as usual by the Greeks, the 
Metropolis, exhibited a decorum suited to a Christian 
bishop . . . From the verandah, we had a view over the 
whole town by day ; and at night we observed the illu- 
minated minarets spreading their light over the city, 
as is customary during the (Mahomedan) fast of Ea- 
mazan . . . The circumstance that Philadelphia is now 
called Allah-Shehr, 1 - the City of God/ when viewed 
in connexion with the promises made to that church, 
and especially with that of writing the name of the city 
of God upon its faithful members, is, to say the least, 
a singular coincidence." — Hartley's Researches. 

" We arrived at Allah-Shehr, the ancient Philadelphia, 
. * . entering the town through chasms in the old wall, 
but which, being built of small stones, did not appear 
to be (particularly ancient ;) the passage through the 
streets was filthy in the extreme, though the view of the 
place as we approached it was extremely beautiful, and 
well entitled to the appellation of the 6 fair city ' . . . 
We walked through the town, and up to the hill on 
which formerly stood the acropolis : the houses were 
mean in the extreme, and we saw nothing on the hill 
but some walls (of comparatively modern date.) On 
1 Others call it Ellak-Shehr, " Beautiful City." 



202 



PHILADELPHIA. 



an adjoining hill, separated from the first by a deep 
fosse or a narrow ravine, were similar fragments of 
walls, but we observed a few rows of large square 
stones just appearing above the surface of the ground. 
The view from these elevated situations was magnificent 
in the extreme ; highly cultivated gardens and vine- 
yards lay at the back and sides of the town, and before 
it one of the most extensive and richest plains in 
Asia. The Turkish name, £ Allah- Shehr,' ' the city of 
God,' reminded me of the psalmist, ' Beautiful for situ- 
ation is mount Zion,' &c. There is an affecting resem- 
blance in the present condition of both these once highly 
favoured ' cities of God :' the glory of the temple is 
departed from both ; and though the candlestick has 
never been removed from Philadelphia, yet it emits but 
a glimmering light, for it has long ceased to be trimmed 
with the pure oil of the sanctuary. We returned through 
a different part of the town, and, though objects of much 
curiosity, were treated with civility; confirming Chandler's 
observation, that the Philadelphians are a f civil people.' 
It was extremely pleasing to see a number of turtle-doves 
on the roofs of the houses ; they were well associated 
with the name of Philadelphia. The storks retain pos- 
session still of the walls of the city, as well as of the roofs 
of many of the houses. We called upon the bishop at three 
o'clock, who received us with much kind attention . . . 
At five o'clock, we accompanied him to his church ; it 
was Palm Sunday, and the service extremely long. I 
could not help shedding tears, at contrasting this un- 
meaning mummery with the pure worship of primitive 
times, which probably had been offered on the very site 
of the present church. A single pillar, evidently belong- 
ing to a much earlier structure, reminded me of the 
reward of victory promised to the faithful member of 
the Church of Philadelphia. - Him that overcometh 
will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he 
shall go no more out ; and I will write upon him the 
name of my God, and the name of the city of my God.' 



PHILADELPHIA. 



203 



" The bishop insisted on our remaining in his house 
for the night .... We learned from him that there were 
in Philadelphia about three hundred Greek houses, and 
nearly three thousand Turkish ; that there were twenty- 
five churches, but that Divine service was chiefly confined 
to five only, in which it was regularly performed every 
week, but in the larger number only once a year. He 
pointed out to me ... a part of a high stone wall, having 
the remains of a brick arch on the top, which he said 
was part of the church of the Apocalypse, arsd dedicated 
to St. John. It would have been useless to have at- 
tempted to convince him that such a structure would 
only have been erected after the empire became Christian, 
and that the early followers of a crucified Master had 
not where to lay their head, much less magnificent tem- 
ples to worship in. At the same time, it is more than 
probable that the remains of the church of St. J ohn are 
really those of the first Christian church in Philadelphia. 
We saw at Ephesus, and subsequently at Sardis, precisely 
the same kind of building; stone walls with brick arches, 
and which tradition said positively were remains of 
churches. This solitary fragment, in deepest shadow, 
was strongly contrasted with the light and lofty minarets 
of three adjoining mosques, blazing with innumerable 
lamps, as usual after sunset during the Ramazan . . . 

" The following testimony (of an infidel) 1 to the truth 
of the prophecy, 4 1 will keep thee in the hour of 
temptation,' is as valuable as remarkable. At a distance 
from the sea, forgotten by the emperor, encompassed on 
all sides by the Turks, her valiant citizens defended 
their religion and freedom above fourscore years, and at 
length capitulated with the proudest of the Ottomans, 
in 1390. Among the Greek colonies and Churches of 
Asia, Philadelphia is still erect — a column in a scene of 
ruins." — x^rundell's Visit, &c. 

1 Gibbon. 



204 



LAODREA. 




LAODICEA. 

DESOLATION 01 LAODICEA — CIECrS— XATXTLAL CURIOSITIES TILLAGE 
01 ESEJ-HISSAR— PATSTUL REELE CTIOXS — THOUGHTS IN A STORM. 

SCRIPTURE NOTICE. 

" Axd unto the angel of the Church of the Laodiceans 
write : These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true 
Witness, the beginning of the creation of God : I know thy 
works, that thou art neither cold, nor hot : I would thou 
wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and 
neither cold nor hot. I will spue thee out of my mouth. 
Because thou sayest. Lam rich, and increased with goods, 
and have need of nothing ; and knowest not that thou 
art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and 
naked : I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the 
fire, that thou mayest be rich ; and white raiment, 



LAODICEA. 



205 



that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy 
nakedness do not appear ; and anoint thine eyes with 
eye-salve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love ; I 
rebuke and chasten : be zealous therefore, and repent. 
Behold, I stand at the door and knock : if any man 
hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, 
and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that 
overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, 
even as I also overcame, and am set down with my 
Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him 
hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches." — Rev. iii. 
14—22. (See also Colons, iv. 13, 16.) 



" Laodicea," says Dr. Smith, " (called by the Turks 
Eski-hissar, or the old castle), a city of Lydia, according 
to the geography of the ancients, is situated upon six or 
seven hills, taking up a vast compass of ground ... It 
is now utterly desolated, and without any inhabitant 
except wolves, and jackals, and foxes ; but the ruins 
show sufficiently what it has been formerly, the three 
theatres and the circus adding much to the stateliness 
of it, and arguing its greatness. That whose entrance 
is to the north-east is very large, and might contain be- 
tween twenty and thirty thousand men, having about 
fifty steps, which are about a yard broad, and a foot 
and a quarter in height one from another, the plain at 
the bottom being about thirty yards over. The circus 
has about two- and -twenty steps, which remain firm and 
entire, and is above three hundred and forty paces in 
length from one end to the other ; the entrance to the 
east. At the opposite extremity is a cave that has a 
very handsome arch, upon which we found an inscription, 
purporting that the building occupied twelve years in 
the construction, was dedicated to Vespasian, and was 
completed during the consulate of Trajan, in the eighty- 
second year of the Christian era." 

" What painful recollections are connected with this 



206 



LAODICEA. 



period ! Twelve years were employed in building this 
place of savage exhibition, and in the first of these years 
the temple of Jerusalem, which had been forty-eight 
years in building, was razed to its foundations; and of 
the Holy City, not one stone was left upon another, 
which was not thrown down ! This abomination of deso- 
latiou was accomplished by him to whom this amphi- 
theatre was dedicated, and may have been in honour of 
his triumph over the once favoured people of God. 
Perhaps in this very amphitheatre the followers of a 
crucified Redeemer were a few years afterwards exposed to 
the fury of wild beasts, by the order of the same Trajan, 
of whose character the predominant lines were clemency 
and benevolence." 

" 1 The city Laodicea,' says Chandler, ' was named from 
Laodice. the wife of its founder Antiochus. It was long an 
inconsiderable place, but increased towards the age of 
Augustus Caesar . . . The fertility of the soil, and the 
good fortune of some of its citizens, raised it to greatness. 
. . . Laodicea was often damaged by earthquakes, and 
restored by its own opulence, or by the munificence of 
the Roman emperors. These resources failed, and the 
city, it is probable, became early a scene of ruin ; . . . 

The hill of Laodicea. it is probable, was originally 
an eruption ... It is an old observation, that the country 
about the Maeander, the soil being light and friable, 
and full of salts generating inflammable matter, was 
undermined by fire and water. Hence it abounded in 
hot spriDgs, which, after passing under ground from 
the reservoirs, appeared on the mountain, or were found 
bubbling up in the plain, or in the mud of the river ; 
and hence it was subject to frequent earthquakes: the 
nitrous vapour compressed in the cavities . . . bursting 
its prison with loud explosions, agitating the atmosphere, 
and shaking the earth and waters with a violence as 
extensive as destructive : and hence, moreover, the pes- 
tilential grottoes, which had subterraneous communica- 
tion with each other, derived their noisome effluvia ; ancl 



LAODICEA. 



207 



serving as smaller vents to these furnaces or hollows, 
were regarded by the heathen as apertures of hell, and 
passages for deadly fumes. One or more of these moun- 
tains perhaps has burned; and it may be suspected 
that the surface of the country, Laodicea in particular, 
has in some places been formed from its own bowels. 
To a country such as this, how awfully appropriate is 
the message of the Apocalypse : ' I know thy works, that 
thou art neither cold nor hot ; I would thou wert cold or 
hot: so then, because thou art lukewarm, and neither 
cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.' 

" On leaving the ruins and arriving at the village of 
Eski-hissar, we found our party had prevailed with dif- 
ficulty on the inhabitants to lodge us, and our apartment 
was a stable. The entire male population of the village, 
all Turks, came to visit us, full of curiosity, but not 
uncivil j though exorbitant in their prices for every- 
thing . . . 

" In the morning, while the horses were preparing, 
I walked up the side of a hill, which commands an ex- 
tensive view. The village and its flat-roofed houses, and 
trees, lay on the right ; behind them a ridge of hills, 
over which rose mountains capped with snow. In front, 
separated only by a narrow vale, in which is the 
amphitheatre, on a long ridge lay the ruins of Laodicea ; 
directly behind them is seen the city of Hierapolis, ap- 
pearing like a large semicircular excavation of white 
marble, on the side of Mount Messogis ; between which 
and the ruins of Laodicea is seen part of the plain of 
the Lycus. At the left, higher up the hill, is a long 
line of arches, in large masses much decayed, once an 
aqueduct ; before which were Turcoman black tents and 
thousands of goats and sheep of the same colour." — 
Arundell's Visit to the Seven Churches. 

"... From Hierapolis we directed our course toward 
another ancient city, which suggests to the serious 
I mind topics of painful but of useful interest. I know 
i of no part of the Sacred Scriptures which is more 

i 
I 



208 



LAODICEA. 



calculated to alarm the careless, than the epistle to the 
Laodiceans. It is not merely the infidel, the pro- 
fane, or the licentious, who find cause to tremble on 
reading these verses. Many, who have much that is 
amiable and moral in their deportment, are here brought 
under condemnation. Our Lord does not charge the 
Laodiceans with heinous crimes : He does not say, ' Be- 
cause thou dost not worship the Lord thy God — because 
thou dost not keep holy the Sabbath day — because thou 
killest, committest adultery, or art living in open vio- 
lation of every one of the Divine commands : no ! awful as 
are the guilt and danger of such a condition, there is 
another sta e. most odious in the eye of the Almighty. — - 
1 Because thou art neither cold nor hot — because thou art 
lukewarm — because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased 
with goods, and have need of nothing.' Let us carefully 
attend to the condition of the Laodiceans. They were 
Christians : they were Christians who had a creed un- 
corrupted by human additions, and according to the 
very model of apostolic preaching : nor, as just noticed, 
were they chargeable with any open deviation from 
the path of God's commandments. But they were not 
zealous for Christ . . . Their conduct showed no signs 
of striving to enter in at the strait gate — of fighting 
the good fight of faith — of counting all things but loss 
for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our 
Lord — of praying without ceasing. They did not love 
that Saviour whose religion they professed to adopt, 
more than their father, their mother, and their life 
itself : nor could they comply with his strict language, 
■ Whosoever he be of you, that forsaketh not all that he 
hath, he cannot be my disciple.' Our Lord declares 
therefore his indignation, in language the most expres- 
sive and alarming — I will spue thee out of my mouth.' 
Happy for those who feel the force of these admonitions 
and warnings 1 To such, promises are annexed, no less en- 
couraging than the rebuke is alarming — ; Behold ! I stand 
at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice, and 



LAODICEA. 



209 



open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with 
him, and he with me.' — ' To him that overcometh, will I 
grant to sit with me in my throne ; even as I also over- 
came, and am set down with my Father in his throne." 
The first object which attracts attention at Laodicea, is 
the great number of sarcophagi. In these, I reflected, 
the material part of many Laodicean Christians has 
returned, 6 earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust :' 
and their spirits have long since given account of the 
manner in which they availed themselves of the faithful 
admonitions of the Apocalypse. 

" The city of Laodicea was seated on a hill of moderate 
height, but of considerable extent. Its ruins attest 
that it was large, populous, and splendid. There are 
still to be seen an amphitheatre, a theatre, an aqueduct, 
and many other buildings. But its present condition 
is in striking conformity with the rebuke and threatening 
of God. Not a single Christian resides at Laodicea ! No 
Turk even has a fixed residence on this forsaken spot ; 
infidelity itself must confess, that the menace of the 
Scriptures has been executed. It was a subject of 
interest to me to find that the amphitheatre, which still 
remains, was built not much later than the time when 
St. John wrote the Apocalypse ; nor could I help in- 
quiring whether theatrical amusements might not have 
been one of the principal causes which induced the decay 
of spirituality at Laodicea. 

" We know, from the passionate fondness of the 
ancients for these sports, and also from the powerful 
condemnation of them by the primitive fathers, that 
they must have been a source of serious temptation to 
the early Christians. Unhappy was the hour when 
the youth of either sex were prevailed on to take their 
seat in these splendid structures! That solid and 
serious felicity which the Gospel imparts would soon be 
expelled, amidst such tumultuous assemblies ; and with 
so many objects to inflame the passions and to corrupt 
the heart, there was little prospect that a single visit 

p 



210 



LAODICEA. 



would leave the individual without being infected with 
a dangerous contagion. Though circumstances may be 
somewhat different in modern theatres, it is greatly to 
be apprehended that the results are not dissimilar. 
How many a youth who encouraged the best hopes 
has been utterly ruined by these entertainments !" — 
Hartley's Researches, 

Mr. Arundell relates, that shortly after leaving 
Denizli, (a large town south of Laodicea) he was " over- 
taken by a heavy shower, or rather a torrent, which 
lasted a full half-hour. Nothing could exceed the 
grandeur of the scene just before the rain began to fall, 
and at the moment when it ceased. On the left were 
the lofty peaks of Mount Cadmus, of the darkest hue, 
with a few streaks of snow along their sides ; clouds of 
a whitish colour rolling beneath those peaks, while the 
atmosphere above them was one mass of condeDsed 
clouds, black as night. On the right hand was the 
ridge of Mount Messogis, partly in dark shadow, and 
partly bright with patches of sunshine; while the 
terrace, on which were the ruins of Hierapolis, glittered 
with the reflection of the white masses of incrustation, 
resembling sheets of water or of ice falling over the edge. 
A rainbow of the most vivid colours I ever beheld, with 
an outer one, as vivid as rainbows commonly are, ex- 
tended over the whole of the sites of Hierapolis and 
Laodicea ; this said, or seemed to say, ' Dark and gloomy 
as the prospect now is, and has long been, in these once 
highly favoured regions, the bow of mercy is again 
shining, and soon shall the rays of the Gospel sun 
dispel all recollection of the days of Pagan darkness.' " — 
Arundell's Visit to the Seven Churches. 



211 



HIERAPOLIS. 

RUINS— HOT WATERS. 
SCRIPTURE NOTICE. 

" For I bear him (Epaphras) record, that lie hath a 
great zeal for you, and them that are in Laodicea, and 
them in Hierapolis" — Col. iv. 13. 



" The ruins of Hierapolis, called now Pambouk Kalesi, 
lie on a wide terrace elevated considerably above the 
plain, and forming a kind of semicircular recess in the 
side of Messogis, which at some little distance resembles 
an extended crescent, behind which the mountain rises 
steeply. At various distances down the precipitous 
brow of this crescent are masses of incrustation formed 
by a mineral water resembling a frozen cascade ; the 
intermediate masses are of a dark grey, but evidently 
only changed by age. Beneath the brow of the hill 
are two or more level spaces, and under these, at a con- 
siderable depth, lies the plain, approachable by an easy 
descent. The horizon m front is terminated by immense 
mountains covered with snow, and lower ranges enclose 
the plain, to appearance, on all sides. We arrived at the 
ruins at the western end ; and having passed a deep but 
dry bed of a torrent, we crossed a flat area, and then 
ascended to the terrace on which the principal ruins 
lie. On the way to this, and on entering it, innumerable 
sarcophagi are seen in every direction, with and without 
their covers ; some with sculpture ; others with inscrip- 
tions : sepulchres of other forms also occur, some in the 
form of a small building with pillars. These sepulchral 
buildings and stone coffins extend for half a mile. 

Amongst the ruins, Mr. Aruodell noticed "the re- 
mains of a very magnificent church, said to be 300 feet 
long." Other buildings, more to the east, are supposed 
to be the remains of two other churches. The principal 



212 



HIERAPOLIS. 



ruins are the theatre and gymnasium ; the former, on 
the side of the hill at the eastern extremity, is in the 
most perfect state of preservation, and the seats, the 
vaulted entrances, said to be thirteen in number, and 
great part of the front, perfect . . . 

" The ' spacious chambers and massy walls of the 
gymnasium show the importance attached to these 
buildings by the ancients ' . . . 

" ' The huge vaults of the roof strike the visitor with 
horror,' c being stones of an incredible magnitude and 
weight, which by force of engines being carried aloft, 
are there closely cemented, without the help of timber, 
and what is more, of arched work, and are joined so 
artificially, that unto this day they remain immovable 
either by time or earthquakes.' But the wonder which 
surpasses all this, and spreads a sort of magical illusion 
over the whole scene, will always be the extraordinary 
phenomena produced by the hot waters. They were 
anciently renowned for this species of transformation. 
It is related, that they changed so easily, that, being 
conducted about the vineyards and gardens, the channels 
became long fences, each a single stone. The road up 
to the ruins, at the eastern end, which appeared as a high 
and wide causeway, is a petrifaction, and overlooks many 
green spots, once vineyards and gardens, separated by 
partitions of the same material . . . 

" We sat a short time on the brow of the hill in front 
of the gymnasium, to enjoy a nearer view of the ' mar- 
vellous slope, a description of which,' says Dr. Chandler, 
6 to bear a faint resemblance, ought to appear romantic. 
It resembled the wavy surface of immense masses of the 
purest snow, over which a wide stream of the hot water 
rushed down with a loud noise; other masses were, to 
all appearance, large flat tables of transparent ice !' 
The intolerable heat of the sun, and the plunging the 
hand into the tepid stream, were really necessary to 
destroy the illusion. These waters still retain, no doubt, 
the medicinal virtues for which they were once so cele- 



HIERAPOLIS. 



213 



brated ; but they flow disregarded, if not despised, by 
the Turcoman, as unfit for the more common uses of 
life. Once there existed on the self-same spot a life- 
giving stream ; but Epaphras and his successors, who 
said to the then countless multitudes of Hierapolis, 
? Whosoever will, may come and take of the water of 
life freely,' have, ages ago, been silent in the grave; 
the spring is become dry, and the fountains dried; and 
the poor man who should seek for water in the doctrines 
of the Mahomedan impostor, would experience the same 
disappointment as the weary and thirsty traveller, who, 
descrying afar off the supposed streams of Hierapolis, 
and hastening his speed to enjoy the refreshing draught, 
finds at length his expectations mocked with stone instead 
of water." — Arundell's Visit to the Seven Churches. 

" . . . I cannot describe how much I was struck 
with Hierapolis : there are three objects, all of which 
cannot fail to arrest attention. One is, the superb 
situation of the city. It is placed on the slope of Mount 
Messogis, which rises behind to a considerable elevation . 
In front, is the vast plain of the Mseander : beyond 
are stupendous mountains, covered half down their 
sides with brilliant snow. The second object which 
excites amazement is the frozen cascades ; by this name 
I denote the four or five cataracts which have been 
petrified in their course, and which display the white- 
ness of the purest snow. I question if the world 
elsewhere exhibits so surprising an instance of this 
phenomenon. The appearance is precisely that of roaring 
cascades having been metamorphosed in an instant into 
Parian marble ; the size too of these snow-white water- 
falls is such, that they are visible at an immense 
distance. The third subject of surprise is, the ruins 
of the city ; we see the most magnificent remains of 
antiquity covering an extent of three or four miles in 
circumference, — we wander among massy walls, — we are 
surrounded by inscriptions, statuary, and columns, — we 
pass under stupendous arches, — we repose on marble 



HIEEAPOLIS 



seats of the theatre. The theatre is certainly the most 
striking relic of the ancient Hierapolis. 

Such a spectacle speaks in powerful language the 
transient nature of earthly grandeur. ' See what manner 
of stones, and what buildings are these P and yet a ruin 
little less than that of Jerusalem has befallen them ; 
neither the beauty of its situation, nor the salubrity of 
its waters, nor the strength of its buildings, has pre- 
served Hierapolis from utter destruction. May we, 
then, ever set our affections on that heavenly residence 
which is the only true Hierapolis ! May we be denizens 
of that 1 city which hath foundations, whose builder and 
maker is God I s 

" The works of God remain, though the labours of 
man have gone to decay. The waters, for which 
Hierapolis was famous, still retain their quality : we 
found them hot, even at some distance from their foun- 
tain, and, having had our faces inflamed by the burning 
rays of the sun, it was refreshing and beneficial to 
bathe them in the tepid stream. To a Christian, 
Hierapolis is interesting, from the mention which is 
made of it in the sacred writings. In the Epistle 
to the Colossians, St. Paul bears record to Epaphras, 
that he had great zeal for them in Hierapolis. Its 
vicinity to Laodicea and Colosse would naturally lead 
to the conclusion that it enjoyed the privilege of the 
labours of Epaphras, at the same time with those two 
cities. It deserves also to be noticed, that the remains 
of two churches are still visible. It is delightful then 
to reflect, that amidst these ruins of idolatry and plea- 
sure, is reposing the earthly part of many faithful 
Christians : and that the last trumpet will call forth, 
from beneath the incrustations of Pambouk-Kalesi, many 
a glorified body to heavenly mansions. At present no 
Christian resides in the vicinity : there is only a 
miserable Turkish village, situated beneath the most 
eastern of the cascades." — Hartley's Researches. 



COLOSSE. 



215 




COLOSSE. (KEONAS.) 

^EINE SITUATION— CASTLE ROCK— EXTENSIVE RUINS. 
SCRIPTURE NOTICE. 

" Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God, 
and Timotheus our brother, to the saints and faithful 
brethren in Christ which are at Colosse : grace be unto 
you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord 
Jesus Christ." — Col. i. 1, 2. 



" Khonas is situated most picturesquely under the 
immense range of Mount Cadmus, which rises to a very 
lofty and perpendicular height behind the village ; in 
some parts clothed with pines, in others bare of soil, with 
immense chasms and caverns. Immediately at the back 
of Khonas, there is a very narrow and almost perpen- 
dicular chasm in the mountain, affording an outlet for 



216 



COLOSSE. 



a wide mountain torrent, the hed of which was now 
nearly dry ; and on the summit of the rock, forming 
the left side of this chasm or ravine, stand the ruins of 
an old castle. The approach to Khonas, as well as the 
village itself, is beautiful, abounding with tall trees, 
from which are suspended vines of the most luxuriant 
growth. On entering the village, and afterwards passing 
through it ... , we passed several dry but wide and deep 
water-courses, worn by the torrents from Mount Cadmus, 
which in a rainy season must be terrific . . . 

" We first ascended the rock on which the castle stands, 
an almost inaccessible steep of enormous height : on the 
summit are several fragments of old walls, but none of 
very ancient date. Descending, we passed through the 
village on the eastern side, and found it to be of con- 
siderable extent ; the multitude of fragments of marble 
pillars upon almost every terraced roof, used there as 
rollers, proved the existence of some considerable ancient 
town in the neighbourhood . . . We now turned to the 
west under the village . . . After walking a considerable 
time, our guide brought us to a place where a number 
of large squared stones lay about, and there showed us 
what seemed to have been a small church, which had 
been lately excavated, having been completely under 
the surface of the soil. It was long and narrow, and 
semicircular at the east end. Passing through several 
fields, in which were many more stones, I remarked one 
which had an imperfect inscription. Not far from hence 
we saw a few vaults, and were told by a Greek that some 
walls not far off were the remains of two churches. 
Beyond this we came to a level space, elevated by a 
perpendicular brow, of considerable height, above the 
fields below. Here were several vestiges of an ancient 
city — arches, vaults, Arc; and the whole of this and the 
adjoining grounds strewed with broken pottery. From 
thence we went much farther . . . and coming to a green 
ridge, full of rocks, which seemed to have been cut either 
as a quarry or for other purposes, we observed under 



COLOSSE. 



217 



them several vaults with small square entrances . . . 
Thunder, and a sky as black as night, threatening in- 
stant torrents, we retraced our course, and when the rain 
began took shelter in a natural cave, formed of beautiful 
stalactites, immediately in the side of the perpendicular 
rock upon which the remains which we had seen were 
placed. In many of the grounds adjoining were vaults 
and ancient vestiges, but we could find no inscriptions. 
We returned to the village, heartily tired, and suffi- 
ciently wet." — Arundell's Visit to the Seven Churches. 

" . . .On the way to Khonas, we traversed a beautiful 
wood, in which the vines were climbing to the summits of 
the trees, and suspending themselves in a very elegant 
manner from the branches. On the right, we had romantic 
mountain scenery. Mount Cadmus was close at hand, 
crowned with forests ; and the snow was glittering 
amidst the trees. Europeans, we find, are an object of 
terror in this country. A boy, who was driving an ass 
on the road before us, as soon as he perceived our ap- 
proach, forsook his ass, fled with the utmost precipitation, 
and hid himself among the brushwood. 

"We approached Khonas with feelings of no small ex- 
citement. Where is the ancient Golossae 1 What remains 
of the church of Epaphras ? Are any individuals still 
to be found, who have been i made meet to he partakers 
of the inheritance of the saints in light, having been 
delivered from the power of darkness, and translated 
into the kingdom of God's dear Sonf (Col, i. 12, 13.) 
The answer is a melancholy one. The very spot on 
which Colossse stood is still uncertain i 1 but, what is 
most afflicting, the condition of Christianity in this 
region has undergone a change, as total as the over- 
throw of the city. Earthquakes have often destroyed 
the works of art ; and, alas ! the world and sin appear 
to have usurped the place where once the work of grace 

1 In a subsequent visit to Colosse, Mr. Arundell ascertained beyond a 
doubt that the ruins here mentioned were those of the ancient city. Mr. 
Hartley was his companion on the present occasion. 



218 



COLOSSE. 



flourished. In fact, we find that the Christians of these 
countries have fallen into those very errors against 
which St. Paul warned them, (Col. ii.) They have 
been beguiled of their ' reward, in a voluntary humility 
and worshipping of angels :' and, instead of considering 
themselves complete in Christ, and dead with him 
'froni the rudiments of the world, they are subject to 
ordinances, (touch not, taste not, handle not, which 
all are to perish with the using,) after the command- 
ments and doctrines of men.' Perhaps, a principal 
source of all these evils has been their neglect of St. 
Paul's advice : ' Let the word of Christ dwell in you 
richly in all wisdom 9 . . . 

" Khonas . . . has long been considered to occupy the 
site of Colossas. The Christians of this place inhabit 
thirty houses ; the Turks, 500. There is one church, and 
there are three mosques . . . 

" April 7, 1826. — We were eager this morning to 
visit the neighbourhood, and to ascertain, if possible, 
the identity of the situation with Colossal 

" We first ascended the wide bed of a torrent, which 
descends from Mount Cadmus, and passes through the 
town ; and then mounted part of an almost impregnable 
rock, on which are the ruins of Turkish fortifications. 
The view from this elevation is imposing : close beneath 
is Khonas, presenting to the eye a considerable extent of 
flat roofs, and trees, and gardens. That we were near 
some ancient city appeared evident, from the rollers 
which we observed on almost every roof. These are 
parts of ancient columns, which have been removed from 
their places to perform this service. From hence we 
visited the eastern extremity of the town, and afterward 
passed along on the south side. We found nothing to 
reward our inquiries, till, on proceeding to the distance 
of perhaps a mile to the south-west, we met with the 
remains, which we were disposed to consider as those of 
the ancient Colossae . . . The remarks which follow were 
written on the supposition of our treading on the exact 



COLOSSE. 



219 



site of this ancient city. It is certain that we were at 
no great distance. 

" Here, then, reposes whatever was mortal of the 
Church of Colossse. With the exception of Epaphras, 
Archippus, Philemon, and Onesimus, the very names of 
the inhabitants are forgotten. But, in truth, very dif- 
ferent has been their end from the death of those who 
are unconnected with their religion : 'When Christ, 
who is our life, shall appear, then' will they 6 also 
appear with Him in glory.' The place on which I 
tread is a sacred spot of earth. Here have been de- 
posited the seeds of immortality. Here is concealed a 
treasure, which, ere long, will adorn the very courts of 
Heaven. The place where the remains of a believer 
rest is precious. With the eye of sense, I view nothing 
here but scattered stones, adorned by violets, anemones, 
and hyacinths ; but, by faith, I foresee the exertion of 
Divine power amidst these ruins : — those who sleep in 
the dust shall awake ; — such as rejected the message of 
mercy declared to them by Epaphras — to shame and 
everlasting contempt ; — the happy number who gave 
it a welcome reception — to everlasting life. That the 
actual situation of Colossse should still be a subject 
admitting of further investigation, is a melancholy evi- 
dence of the utter ruin which has befallen that ancient 
city. Long since have disappeared, not only all the 
pious labours of Epaphras and his successors, but the 
very buildings amidst which they resided. At present 
the ground is, for the most part, cultivated, where we 
supposed the city to stand ; and no remains are visible, 
which are either calculated to excite curiosity or to 
gratify taste."- — Hartley's Researches. 



220 



TROAS. 

NIGHT SCENE— VISIT TO THE ANCIENT CITY— HOT SPRING— WILD 
BEASTS. 

SCRIPTURE NOTICES. 

" They passing by Mysia, came down to Troas." — 
Acts xvi. 8. 

" These, going before, tarried for us at Troas. And 
we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unlea- 
vened bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days ; 
where we abode seven days. And upon the first day of 
the week, when the disciples came together to break 
bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the 
morrow ; and continued his speech until midnight." — 
Acts xx. 5 — 7. (See following verses for the account of 
Eutychus.) 

" The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when 
thou comes t, bring with thee, and the books, but espe- 
cially the parchments." — 2 Tim. iv. 13. (See also 2 Cor. 
ii. 12.) 



" We landed near the ancient port of Troas. We 
immediately began a cursory survey of this deserted 
place ; ascending to the principal ruin, which is at some 
distance from the shore. The whole site was overspread 
with stones and rubbish intermingled with stubble, 
plantations of cotton and of Turkey wheat, plats of long 
dry grass, thickets and trees, chiefly the species of low 
oak which produces valanea, or the large acorns used 
in tanning. A solemn silence prevailed, and we saw 
nothing alive but a fox and some partridges. In the 
meantime the Turks, who were . left in the wherry, 
removed about three miles lower down, towards a pro- 
montory, where the beach afforded a station less exposed 
to the wind, and more secure. 

" The evening coming on, we were advised to retire 
to our boat. We came to a shed, formed with boughs 
round a tree, to shelter the flocks and herds from the 



TROAS. 



221 



sun at noon ; and under it was a peasant, who had an 
ass laden, besides other articles, with a goat-skin contain- 
ing sour curds, on which, and some brown bread, our 
Turks made their evening meal. A goat-skin with the 
hair on served likewise for a bucket : it was distended 
by a piece of wood, to which a rope was fastened. He 
drew for us water from a well not far off, and promised 
to bring us milk and a kid the next day. We found 
our cook, a Jew, busy by the sea-side preparing supper ; 
his tin kettle boiling over a fire in the open air. The 
beauty of the evening in this country surpasses all 
description. The sky now glowed with the rich tints of 
the setting sun, which, skirting the western horizon, 
raised as it were up to our view the distant summits of 
the European mountains. We saw the cone of Athos 
distinctly ; this top is so lofty, that the sun rising is 
beheld on it three hours sooner than by the inhabitants 
of the sea-coast . . . We had here no choice, but were 
forced to pass the night on the beach, which was 
sandy. The Turks constructed a half tent for us near 
our boat, with the oars and sail. We now discovered 
that we had neglected to procure candles at Tenedos. 
We did not however remain in the dark, but supplied 
the omission by a cotton wick swimming in oil on a bit 
of cork, in a drinking-glass suspended by a string . . . 
We were fatigued by our rough hot walk among the 
ruins, and gladly lay down to rest. The Turks slept by 
us, upon the ground, with their arms ready in case of 
an alarm. The janizary, who watched, sat smoking, 
cross-legged, by the fire. The stars shone in a clear 
blue sky, shedding a calm serene light : the jackals 
howled in vast packs, approaching near us, or on Mount 
Ida ; and the waves beat gently on the shore in regular 
succession. We rose with the dawn, ready dressed, 
hoping to get to the ruins in the cool of the morning. 
It was necessary to take water with us, as none could be 
procured there. 

" (Alexandria Troas, so called from Alexander the 



222 



TROAS. 



Great, who first planned a city in that spot, was at one 
time inferior to no city of the eighteen which bore the 
name of Alexandria, but Alexandria in Egypt.) It was 
seated on a hill, sloping towards the sea, and divided 
from Mount Ida by a deep valley. On each side is an 
extensive plain with watercourses. The port of Troas, 
by which we landed, has a hill rising round it in a semi- 
circle, and covered with rubbish. Many small granite 
pillars are standing, half buried, and much corroded by 
the spray. It is likely the vessels were fastened to them 
by ropes. 

" The city wall is standing, except toward the vine- 
yard, but with gaps, and the battlements ruined. It 
was thick and solid, had square towers at regular dis- 
tances, and was several miles in circumference. Besides 
houses, it enclosed many magnificent structures ; but now 
appears as the boundary of a forest or neglected park. 

" Confusion cannot easily be described. Above the 
shore is a hollow, overgrown with trees, near which 
Pococke saw remains of a place for races, sunk in the 
ground ; and higher up is the vaulted basement of a 
large temple. We were told that this had lately been 
a lurking-place of robbers, who often lay concealed 
here, their horses tied in rows to wooden pegs, of which 
many then remained in the wall. It now swarmed with 
bats, much bigger in size than the English, which, on 
our entering, flitted about, innumerable ; and, settling 
when tired, blackened the roof ... At some distance are 
vestiges of a theatre and music theatre. Among the rub- 
bish, which is of great extent, are a few scraps of marble 
and of sculpture, with many small granite pillars. 

" The principal ruin, which is that seen afar off by 
the mariners, commands a view of the islands of Tenedos 
and Lemnos ; and on one side, of the plain to the Hel- 
lespont, and of the mountains in Europe. Before it is a 
gentle descent, woody, to the sea. It was a very ample 
building, and, as we supposed, once the gymnasium, 
where the youth were instructed in learning and in 



TROAS. 



223 



exercises. It consists of three open, massive arches, 
towering amid walls and a vast heap of huge materials. 
They are constructed with a species of stone full of 
petrified cockle shells, and of cavities like honeycomb. 
The latter, it is likely, have occasioned the name used, as 
Pococke relates, by the peasants, the Palace of Honey. 

u We found three pedestals erected to the high-priest 
of the gods Julius and Augustus, as these Roman em- 
perors were styled by the citizens of Troas, who were 
indebted to Rome for much of their prosperity. A noble 
aqueduct begins behind the city, erected to supply 
Troas with water, by the Emperor Hadrian. 

" The Christian religion was planted early at Troas, 
but the churches have long since been demolished . . . 

44 In the evening we returned to the vineyard, and 
found our cook, with two or three of the Turks, busy in 
a hovel roasting a kid on a wooden spit or stake. The 
flesh proved excellent. Our table was a mat on the 
ground, beneath a spreading vine . . . Soon after we fell 
asleep, and the starry heaven was our canopy . . . 

" In the slope of the hill of Troas rises a hot spring 
. . . The bed resembles rusty iron in colour, and the 
edges were encrusted with white salt. After running a 
few paces, it enters a basin about nine feet square, within 
a mean hovel roofed with boughs . . . The current, pass- 
ing from hence, is admitted into another basin . . . 
These baths are reckoned very efficacious in rheumatism, 
leprosy, and all cutaneous disorders. They first scour 
the skin by rolling in the bed of the river, which is a 
fine sand. By each enclosure is a shed, where they sleep 
after bathing. In the court-yard of one is inserted the 
trunk of a large statue ; and higher on the hill are the 
ruins and vestiges of the ancient sepulchres of Troas . . . 

" We slept (again) on the beach of Troas. The solemn 
night was rendered yet more awful by the melancholy 
howlings of numerous jackals in packs, hunting, as we 
supposed, their prey." — Chandler's Travels in Asia 
Minor. 



22± 



ASSOS. 




ASSOS. 
SCRIPTURE NOTICE. 

" And we went before to ship, and sailed unto Assos, 
there intending to take in Paul : for so had he ap- 
pointed, minding himself to go afoot. And when he 
met with us at" Assos, we took him in, and came to 
Mitylene." — Acts xx. 13, 14. 

This city was situated in Mysia, south of Troas, and 
was a sea-port. It stood in a commanding position, and 
was strongly fortified. The island of Lesbos, now called 
Mitylene (see Mitylene), was opposite. 

The ruins of Assos are very singular and interesting. 
Several ruined temples, a theatre, walls, towers, and a 
grand cemetery without the walls, are proofs of its 
former greatness. Numerous sarcophagi are still stand- 
ing in their places. — See Colonel Leake's Journal 



CHAPTER VI. 



MACEDONIA AND GREECE, 

Thessalonica, 

Athens. — Short Notices of Ancient and Modern Athens — The Acropolis 

— Areopagus — Eine Sunset — Sunrise — WeDs — Oil — Honey— Game — 

Emit— Wild Beasts. 
Coejnth and Cenche^a. — Situation of Corinth — Curious Cradles — 

Ancient Splendour and present Misery — Wild Animals — Cenchraea — 

Acrocorinthus— Corinth Grape. 



Q 



THESSALONICA. 



SCRIPTURE NOTICE. 

" They carae to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue 
of the Jews ; and Paul, as his manuer was, went in unto 
them, and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of 
the Scriptures, opening and alleging that Christ must 
needs have suffered . . . And some of them believed . . . 
and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the 
chief women not a few. But the Jews which believed not, 
moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of 
the baser sort . . . and set all the city on an uproar, and 
assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them 
out to the people . . . And the brethren immediately sent 
away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea." — Acts xvii. 
1 — 5 } 10 ; ver. 13 ; xxvii. '2. 



u From various individuals we heard of Salonica, the 
ancient Thessalonica. The Jewish community there are 
very exclusive, quite a nation by themselves. They have 
great influence in the city, are very reserved, and keep 
aloof from all strangers. They are very strict Jews." 
— See Jfissioa to the Jews. 

" We ran up the Gulf of Salonica, and next day cast 
anchor off the town . . . We walked through it, and 
visited the remains of some marble columns, being the 
entrance to a temple . . . Houses are built on this spot, 
having a wall forming part of the street around them . . . 
There is a fine triumphal arch, tolerably perfect, on 
which is represented the triumphal entry of one of the 
Boman emperors, in a car drawn by six fine horses ; and 
also a battle scene, in which the warriors hold immense 
shields. 

" The bay of Salonica is very spacious, and worthy of 
notice, and the appearance of the town on approaching 
the bay is very striking, as it is built on the slope of a 
hill, with a strong wall all around it, presenting a long 



227 



ATHENS. 



line of fortifications to the sea, with fortifications and a 
citadel on the land side. Great misery exists in the 
town." — See Madox's Travels. 




ATHENS. 

SHORT NOTICES Or ANCIENT AND MODERN ATHENS — THE ACROPOLTS — 
ARE OPAGUS — EINE SUNSET — SUNRISE— WELLS— OIL — HONEY — GAME 
— ERUIT — WILD BEASTS. 

SCRIPTURE NOTICES. 

"And they that conducted Paul brought him unto 
Athens . . . Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, 
his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city 
wholly given to idolatry. Therefore disputed he ... in 
the market daily with them that met with him . . . And 
they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus . . . 
(or Mars' Hill) . . . Then Paul stood in the midst of 



228 



ATHENS. 



Mars' Hill, (or, the Court of the Areopagites.) and said, 
Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are 
too superstitious.''. . . — Acts xvii. 15 — 22 • read to ver. 
34 ; xviii. 1. 

" Wherefore when we could no longer forbear, we 
thought it good to be left at Athens alone, and sent 
Timotheus ... to establish you, and to comfort you con- 
cerning your faith." — 1 Thess. iii. 1, 2. 

(The two Epistles to the Thessalonians were written 
from x^thens.) 



The city of Athens, founded loo 6 years before the 
birth of Christ, was one of the greatest cities in the 
world. It was the capital of the kingdom of Attica, 
and the seat of the Grecian empire. It was famous for 
its beautiful buildings, for the learning and politeness 
of its citizens, for its poets, philosophers, painters, and 
warriors, so that by way of eminence and distinction, it 
was sometimes called " the city." 

" War after war has, however, destroyed the power and 
greatness of Athens, desolated her temples and courts, 
and stripped her of almost everything save the beautiful 
ruins which even at this day astonish the traveller. 

Athens was originally on the top of a high rock, 
perhaps as a protection from the sea. When the popu- 
lation increased, the plain was covered with buildings, 
and the two parts of the city were described as " Upper 
and Lower" Athens. 

" Athens." Mr. Wilson tells us, " is a perpetual spring 
during eight months in the year. It rarely rains ; snow 
seldom lies on the ground ; and a cloudy day is hailed 
with delight, from the sky being constantly serene. 
The olive-tree is most luxuriant, and the crop of olives 
abundant." 

We read in the Acts of the Apostles, that when St. 
Paul visited this great city, his spirit was stirred in him 
at finding it, notwithstanding all its learning, wholly 
given to idolatry. History abundantly attests the same 



ATHENS. 



229 



melancholy truth, which shows us most strongly that the 
greatest measure of human learning and wisdom will 
not lead men to God. " Not many wise men after the 
flesh are called and we find that when the truth was 
made known to the great and learned Athenians, the 
preaching of the cross was unto them "foolishness" 
They " by wisdom, knew not God," while on every side 
of them, by the ministry of the same great apostle 
who " disputed with them daily," in vain, numbers of 
the poor, and unlettered, and weak of this world, were 
being made " wise unto salvation, through faith which 
is in Christ Jesus." We are told by ancient writers, 
that there was no place in Greece where so many idols 
and altars were to be seen as in Athens ; mountains, 
valleys, streams and plains, public and private houses, 
had each their respective god ; and still fearful lest they 
should have omitted any, they raised an altar to the 
" Unknown God." Some learned men think that under 
this title the Athenians intended the God of the Jews — 
the only one true God. They had had some opportu- 
nities of gaining an indistinct knowledge of the Jewish 
religion ; and as the J ews never uttered the name of God, 
but always spoke of him as unutterable and incompre- 
hensible, so that no foreigner could know by what peculiar 
name to distinguish him, they might not unnaturally 
describe him as " the unknown God." This is the more 
likely, as they were very ready to introduce among them- 
selves the godsof other nations. The most interesting place 
in Athens to the Christian traveller, is the Areopagus, 
or hill of Mars. This was the place, or court, in which 
the Areopagites, the supreme judges of Athens, assem- 
bled. It was on an eminence, formerly almost in the 
middle of the city. The judges sat in the open air, and 
held their meetings in the dark, in order that their 
minds might be clear and undisturbed, and their judg- 
ment unaffected by the sight of those whose cause they 
tried. The Areopagites were formerly renowned for the 
wisdom and uprightness of their proceedings, but at the 



230 



ATHENS. 



time when St. Paul stood amongst them, their court had 
degenerated into a place of disputation for curious ques- 
tions, where every new opinion was discussed, and to 
which the philosophers of Athens daily resorted for this 
purpose. This court of Areopagus took special charge 
of matters of religion ; no god was allowed to be wor- 
shipped without their knowledge and approbation ; and 
this was one reason of St. Paul's being taken there, 
that his doctrine might be tried and examined, " for," said 
they, " he seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods.'N 

Dionysius, the Areopagite, is mentioned in the sacred 
narrative as being convinced by the preaching of the 
apostle. He is reported to have been the first Chris- 
tian bishop of Athens. A considerable portion of the 
inhabitants of Modern Athens are Christians. 

"... We were soon on our way to the city of Athens, 
a distance of six English miles. This drive was accom- 
panied by sad feelings. The day was cloudy, cold, and 
cheerless. The plains and mountains around, the scenes 
of so many thrilling associations, were untilled and deso- 
late ; and on every side were seen the noblest monu- 
ments of antiquity in ruins, now serving to mark only 
the downfall of human greatness and of human pride. 
Nor did the entrance to the city tend to dissipate these 
feelings. Small dwellings of stone, huddled together 
along narrow, crooked, unpaved, filthy lanes, are not the 
Athens which the scholar loves in imagination to con- 
template ; yet they constitute, with a few exceptions, 
the whole of modern Athens. Even in its best parts, 
. . . there is often an air of haste and shabbiness, which, 
although not a wonder in the circumstances in which 
the city has been built up, cannot fail to excite in the 
stranger a feeling of disappointment and sadness . . . 

" The most striking feature in Athens is, doubtless, 
the acropolis. It is a mass of rock, which rose pre- 
cipitously in the midst of the ancient city, and is still 
accessible only on its north-west part. On . . . its 
levelled surface were collected the noblest monuments of 



ATHENS. 



231 



Grecian taste ; it was the very sanctuary of the arts, the 
glory and the religion of ancient Athens. (The beau- 
tiful buildings) of purest marble, though now ruined 
and broken down, still attest the former splendours of 
the place . . . My first visit in Athens was to the Areo- 
pagus, where Paul preached. This is a narrow, naked 
ridge of limestone rock, rising gradually from the 
northern end, and terminating abruptly on the south, 
over against the west end of the acropolis, from which 
it bears about north, being separated from it by an ele- 
vated valley. This southern end is fifty or sixty feet 




above the said valley, though yet much lower than the 
acropolis. On its top are still to be seen the seats of 
the judges and parties, hewn in the rock ; and towards 
the south-west is a descent by a flight of steps, also cut 
in the rock, into the valley below. On the west of the 
ridge . . . was the ancient market; and on the south- 
east side, the later, or new market. In which of these 
it was that Paul 6 disputed daily,' it is of course impos- 



232 



ATHENS. 



sible to tell ; but from either, it was only a short dis- 
tance to the foot of Mars' hill, up which Paul was 
probably conducted by the flight of steps just mentioned. 
Standing on this elevated platform, surrounded by the 
learned and the wise of Athens, the multitude perhaps 
being on the steps and in the vale below, Paul had 
directly before him the far-famed acropolis, with its 
wonders of Grecian art • and beneath him, on his left, 
the . . . earliest and still most perfect of Athenian 
structures ; while all around, other temples and altars 
filled the whole city. Yet here, amid all these objects, 
of which the Athenians were so proud, Paul hesitated 
not to exclaim, ' God, who made the world and all things 
therein, he being Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth 
not in temples made with hands I' On the acropolis, 
too, were the three celebrated statues of (the false goddess) 
Minerva, one of olive-wood, another of gold and ivory, 
in the Parthenon ; and the colossal statue, in the open air, 
the point of whose spear was seen over the Parthenon 
by those sailing along the gulf. To these Paul probably 
referred and pointed, when he went on to affirm that ' the 
Godhead is not like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven 
by art and man's device.' 

"Indeed, it is impossible to conceive of anything 
more adapted to the circumstances of time and place, 
than is the whole of this masterly address ; but the full 
force, and energy, and boldness of the apostle's language, 
can be duly felt only when one has stood upon the spot . ." 

Returning to Athens after a ride, Mr. Robinson passed 
over a hill which " affords a noble view of Athens and 
its environs. It was a splendid afternoon ; and the 
atmosphere had all that perfect clearness and trans- 
parency for which (this) climate ... is remarkable ; far 
surpassing in this respect the sky of any other country 
known to me. Remote objects were seen with the 
utmost distinctness ; the island of Hydra seemed to be 
hardly ten miles off, though its real distance is more 
than forty English miles. The sun went down while 



ATHENS. 



233 



we were yet upon the hill, pouring a flood of transparent 
glory over the landscape ; and as the reflection of his 
last beams lingered upon the Parthenon and slowly 
ascended the dark sides of Mount Hymettus beyond, they 
were followed by hues of brilliant purple, which also 
climbed the heights of Hymettus, and spread themselves 
abroad upon the sky . . . 

" On one of the last mornings of our stay in Athens, 
I went very early to the acropolis, to see the sun rise 
over Mount Hymettus. The morning was clear and 
cold ... I was alone upon the acropolis, in the midst 
of the solemn grandeur of its desolations. Seating my- 
self within the ruins of the Parthenon ... I waited for 
the rising sun. The whole sky was so resplendent, that 
for a long time I could not determine the point where 
the orb of day would appear. The sun-light already 
lay upon the eastern plain and on the northern moun- 
tains . . . Small fleecy clouds came floating on the 
north wind ; and as they hovered over (Mount) Hymet- 
tus and met the rays of the sun, were changed to liquid 
gold. At length the first beams fell upon the Parthenon, 
and lighted up its marbles and its columns ... It was 
one of those moments in the life of man that can never 
be forgotten." — Robinson's Researches. 

" The territory of Athens was anciently well peopled. 
The boroughs were in number a hundred and seventy- 
four — frequent traces of them are found ; and several 
still exist, but mostly reduced to very inconsiderable 
villages. Many wells also occur . . . Some are seen in 
the vineyards and gardens, nearly in their pristine 
state ; a circular ruin of marble, about a yard high, 
standing on a square pavement ; adorned, not inele- 
gantly, with wreathed flutings on the outside; or plain, 
with mouldings at the top and bottom ; the inner sur- 
face deep worn by the friction of ropes. The bucket 
is a kettle, a jar, or the skin of a goat or kid distended ; 
close by is commonly a trough or hollow stone, into 
which they pour water for the cattle . . . The olive 



234 



ATHENS- 



groves are now, as anciently, a principal source of the 
riches of Athens. The wood of these trees, watered by 
the Cephissus, about three miles from the city, has been 
computed at least six miles long. The mills for press- 
ing and grinding the olives, are in the town. The oil 
is deposited in large earthen jars, sunk in the ground 
in the areas before the houses . . . The honey as well as 
the oil of Attica, was anciently in high repute. Mount 
Hymettus furnishes a succession of aromatic plants, herbs, 
and flowers, peculiarly adapted to maintain bees, both 
in summer and winter. The hives are set on the ground 
in rows, enclosed within a low wall. 

" Provisions of all kinds are good and cheap at Athens 
. . . The sea-polypus, called by the Greeks octopedes, 
from the number of its feet, is beaten to make it tender; 
and when boiled, is white, like the tail of a lobster, but 
has not much flavour. Hares, game, and fowl, may be 
purchased for little more than the value of the powder 
and shot. Oranges, lemons, and citrons, grow in the 
gardens. The grapes and melons are excellent, and the 
figs were celebrated of old . . . 

c < The wild beasts, which find shelter in the moun- 
tains, greatly annoy the shepherds ; and their folds are 
constantly guarded by several large fierce dogs. The 
peasant who produces the skin of a wolf in the market, 
is recompensed by voluntary contributions. A peasant 
brought us a large horned owl, with the wing broken. 
They are as ravenous as eagles, and, if pressed by hunger, 
will attack lambs and hares. The mountains on one 
side of Athens were once noted for silver . . . Credulity 
and superstition prevail at xAthens . . . The old Athe- 
nian had a multitude of deities, but relied chiefly on 
Minerva ; the modern has a similar troop, headed by the 
Virgin." — See Chandler's Travels in Asia Minor* 



CORINTH AND CENCHRJEA. 



235 




CORINTH AND CENCHRZEA. 

SITUATION OF CORINTH — CURIOUS CRADLES— ANCIENT SPLENDOUR 
AND PRESENT MISERY— WILD ANIMALS — CENCHRiEA — ACROCORIN- 
THUS— CORINTH GRAPE. 

SCRIPTURE NOTICES. 

..." Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth 
. . . and he continued there a year and six months, 
teaching the word of God among them . . ." — Acts xviii. 
\, 11 ; read to ver. 18 ; xix. 1. 

" I commend unto you Phehe our sister, which is a 
servant of the church which is at Cenchrea." — Rom. 
xvi. 1. 

(< Paul . „ . unto the church of God which is at Corinth 
. . . Grace be unto you, and peace . . . " — 1 Cor. i. 1 — 3. 
« Erastus abode at Corinth . . ."—2 Tim. iv. 20. 



236 



CORINTH AND CEXCHRJU. 



" I embarked in the afternoon (writes Mr. Wilson) in 
a small open boat at the port (of Athens), and sailed to 
Cenchra, at the bay of Corinth ... I arrived there next 
morning . . . 

" This city ... is sixty miles west of Athens ... It 
was one of the most distinguished in history ; and, from 
its being advantageously situated between two seas, 
became the staple of all northern and southern Greece, 
for wares transported by land conveyance, and a central 
point for the trade of Asia, Italy, and Illyrium, which 
thus contributed to its wealth and power. Athens 
alone could claim precedence of it, and the Romans 
became jealous of its greatness and importance. It 
was ravaged by them ; great slaughter committed, and 
Corinth set in flames. The city was re-built by Julius 
Caesar, and again ruined . . . Under the eastern emperors 
it was the see of an archbishop. 

w In this place the apostle Paul sowed the seeds of the 
Christian doctrine, and from it addressed his Epistle to 
the Romans. 1 Here he took up his residence for eighteen 
months, fifty-four years after the crucifixion of the 
Lord of glory, during which he both laboured for the 
supply of his own temporal wants, and declared the 
truth as it is in Jesus, and the things pertaining to the 
kingdom of heaven. 

" Corinth stands at the base of a perpendicular moun- 
tain, almost inaccessible, crowned with a fortification, 
built by nature for herself, which strangers are not per- 
mitted to enter. It is situated in a plain stretching 
to the sea . . . the plain, which is watered by two rivulets, 
is overspread with vineyards, and a few small villages. 
Under the walls of the castle there was at one time a 
small chapel hewn out of a rock, and dedicated to 
St, Paul. I walked about the town, which appears 
altogether mean : it consists of a few houses in a decayed 
state, and detached from each other by gardens ; and 



1 The epistle was sent by Pliebe. (Eom. xvi. 1.) 



CORINTH AND CENCHRiEA. 



237 



the population consists of Turks and Greeks. There 
are two mosques. I looked into some of the dwellings, 
and was surprised to observe the particular form of the 
cradles used for children. They are a hollow piece of 
wood, similar to the tray in which an English butcher 
carries meat, with a string attached to each corner, about 
three feet in height, tied together at top, and suspended 
from the ceiling like a scale, in which the infant is 
rocked. Some of these hang from the roof over the bed 
of the parents, that they may swing it when necessary 
to keep it in motion, to cause the child to sleep. 

" Originally, this city was distinguished for the 
grandeur of its buildings . . . but the devouring hand of 
time, tempests, and war . . . (have left) hardly a wreck 
behind. The (shops) are miserable in the extreme 
. . . the vermin and flies . . . most annoying . . . The 
place is also subject to the visitation of locusts. In 
many parts, particularly towards the beach, I saw the 
ground completely encrusted with dead locusts, which 
were of a red colour." — See Rae Wilson's Travels. 

" We were now near the isthmus of Corinth. Soon 
after day-break we landed at the port of Schaenus, and 
ascended to some ruins. Near this port was a temple 
of Neptune, now a mass of fragments. On one side of 
the approach was a grove of pine-trees, regularly planted; 
and on the other, statues of persons who had been 
victorious in the games. Statues of ivory and gold 
were placed in the temple itself. We met two or 
three goatherds, who conducted us to their station, and 
protected us from their dogs, which were most exceedingly 
fierce. They lamented that wild beasts often assailed 
their fold, and rendered a strong guard necessary. They 
treated us with new cheese, curdled milk made sour, 
and with ordinary bread toasted on embers. We selected 
a fat kid from the flock feeding among the pine trees 
and thickets. We saw several large lizards or cameleons, 
of a vivid green colour. A low root of Mount Oneius 
extends along the isthmus, and from the brow I had 



238 



CORINTH AND CENCHILEA. 



a view of the two gulfs, the Saronic arid the Corin- 
thian ] the latter shining and placid. 

" One of the goatherds assisted in flaying and roast- 
ing the kid by the sea side . . . 

" The city of Corinth stands in the isthmus on the 
side of the Peloponnesus, a situation once peculiarly 
happy, from which also its ancient prosperity was de- 
rived. Its ports were commodiously disposed by nature 
to receive the ships of Europe and Asia, and to render 
it the centre of their commerce. The Isthmian games, 
likewise, by the concourse of people at their celebration, 
contributed to its opulence, which was immense. The 
prodigality of the merchants made the place so ex- 
pensive, that it was a saying, ' Not every man could 
go to Corinth.' Amid this luxury it produced many 
able statesmen, as well as capital masters in painting, 
sculpture, <fcc. The port of Corinth, on the side of 
Asia, was named Cenchrsea, where were temples, and, by 
the way from the city, a grove of cypress-trees, sepul- 
chres, and monuments. Corinth was pillaged and over- 
thrown by the Romans. The inhabitants were put 
to the sword, or sold as captives ; and the beautiful 
pictures and other works of art thrown neglectfully 
on the ground, the soldiers playing on them with dice. 
It was restored by the Romans, and filled with temples, 
images, &c. At length it became subject to the Turks. 

" Corinth retains its old name, and is of considerable 
extent; standing on a hio-h ground, beneath the Acro- 
Corinthus (the way to which was once lined by temples, 
statues, and altars), with an easy descent towards the 
gulf of Lepanto ; the houses scattered or in parcels, 
except in the bazaar or market-place. 

" Cypresses, among which tower the domes of mosques, 
with corn-fields, and gardens of lemon and orange trees, 
are interspersed. The air is reputed bad in summer, 
and in autumn exceedingly unhealthy. The principal 
Corinthians retire into the country. 

" The extreme heat prevented us from ascending to 



CORINTH AND CENCHRJEA. 



239 



the Acro-Corinthus, in which are a few inhabitants, as in 
the citadel of Athens. Wheler relates, that from the top 
he enjoyed a most agreeable prospect. He guessed the 
walls to be about two miles in compass, including 
mosques, with houses and churches mostly in ruins. One 
hour was consumed in going up on horseback. The way 
was very steep. The families living below were much 
infested by corsairs, and on every alarm nocked up to 
the castle. Our vessel was at anchor in the port still 
called Cenchrasa, now as little frequented as the 
Piraeus. 

" The city of Sicyon stood on the south side of the 
gulf of Corinth. So fertile was this region, that an 
oracle once answered a person who inquired what he 
should do to become rich, that he needed only to get 
all the land between Corinth and Sicyon. 

K The country near the Isthmus formerly produced 
the Corinth grape, which is a small and highly esteemed 
species of black grape. The island of Zante is now 
famed for this fruit." — See Chandler's Travels, &c. 



CHAPTER VII. 



ITALY. 



Rome. — The Pantheon — The Capitol— Colosseum— Arch of Titus— Pala- 
tine Hill — Appian Way— Catacombs. 

Puzzioli.— The Puteoli of St. Paul— Antiquities— Temple of Jupiter- 
Mole— Cement. 



ROME. 



THE PANTHEON — CAPITOL — COLOSSEUM — ARCH OE TITUS — PALATINE 
HILL— APPIAN "WAY— CATACOMBS — NERO'S CIRCUS. 

SCRIPTURE NOTICES. 

" The Lord stood by him and said, Be of good cheer, 
Paul : for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so 
must thou bear witness also at Rome." — Acts xxiii. 11. 

" To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be 
saints . . ." — Rom. i. 7. (ver. 15.) 

" The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus ; 
for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my 
chain. But when he was in Rome, he sought me out 
very diligently, and found me." — 2 Tim. i. 1G, 17. 

R 



242 



ROME. 



" We reached the Pantheon — the Pantheon of ancient 
Rome. Time had been, when perishing mortals received 
apotheosis there. But things are changed, jet scarcely 
for the better. The beautifully proportioned and graceful 
structure is now overrun with Popery. Altars are 
erected at every part of the bold circle; and Popish 
devotees were actively engaged in what they deemed 
religious exercises, before each. On the steps of one 
altar lay a large crucifix, with wax candles in abun- 
dance burning on either side. Many persons knelt and 
fervently kissed the feet of the wax caricature of our 
adorable Redeemer, and at the same time dropped a 
small pecuniary offering into a little dish, placed for 
that purpose near the object of adoration. Money and 
devotedness are inseparably connected in the Church of 
Rome. 

" The next object which fixed our attention was the 
Mons Capitolinus — the site, and part of the ancient 
structure of the Capitol, around which memory congre- 
gates associations of the most heart-stirrins: kind. In 
front of the Capitol stands the undoubtedly ancient 
equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius ... it is as fresh 
as ever, and as nobly graceful. From the tower of the 
Capitol we obtained a general view of the chief remains 
of Rome's greatness, together with the far-spreading 
Campagna, and the course of the muddy Tiber. Directly 
under us, and somewhat to the left, were the Mamertine 
prisons ; those gloomy abodes of torture and death, in 
whose sad shadows the great apostle of the Gentiles 
once lay captive and bound • and near them, rather 
more towards the south, the remains of the temple 
dedicated to Jupiter Tonans, consisting of three exqui- 
sitely beautiful Corinthian columns of marble ; to the 
right of these the portico of the temple of Concord, and 
to the left, the richly sculptured arch of Septimus 
Severus. And there, too, lay the site of the Forum 
Romanum, all silent and desolate ; — no voice of rivet- 
ing eloquence is there. Carrying the eye onwards to 



ROME. 



243 



the left, and passing the remains of heathen temples 
now transformed into churches, and bearing about them 
the trinkets and trappings of Popery— the Colosseum, 
that noble monument which attests alike the greatness 
and the littleness of Rome, stands prominently in the 
field of vision. 




MAMEKTIKE PRISON. 



" Viewed by daylight from the summit of the Capitol, 
or at night, when the rich flood of moonbeams is poured 
upon it, the Colosseum is indeed a wonderful object 
of interest. I contemplated it under both aspects, and 
the impression will not be easily obliterated. Time was, 
when the noble and the graceful, the royal and the 
gifted, the virgin and the matron, the poet and the 
philosopher, found their places on those now crumbling 
seats, capable of containing their thousands upon 
thousands ; and, gazing on the vast area formed for 
deadly conflict, there sought, in the sad excitement of 
the scene, for gratifications which the graceful and 



2U 



ROME. 



rational pursuits of life had failed to afford. Popery 
has set up her symbols in that scene of Pagan heartless- 
ness, only exchanging one kind of darkness for another. 
Penitential stations now surround the area j a large 
crucifix occupies its centre ; and indulgences are granted 
in proportion to the number of kisses which it receives 
from devotees. 

" Glancing onwards from the Colosseum to the right, 
the eye rests upon the arch of Constantine, the first 
Christian emperor of Rome — Christian, alas ! whose way 
to the imperial purple was tracked in blood. Returning 
up the Via Sacra, or Via Triumphalis, we find it spanned 
by the arch of Titus, sculptured with the story of 
Jerusalem's fall under the Roman arms, and with the sym- 
bolic furniture of the temple in bold relief, restored after 
a lapse of nearly eighteen centuries. Whatever may be 
the feelings with which we contemplate the arch of 
Titus, and whatever the motive which led to its erection, 
whether pride, vanity, or ostentation, — yet there it 
stands, a record of prophecy fulfilled, and of the purposes 
of Jehovah accomplished in the destruction of Jerusalem, 
the sacking of the temple, and the final dispersion of 
God's ancient people ; and there probably it will stand, 
till the city of David shall again put on her glorious 
apparel, and the now scattered multitudes of Israel shall 
say, ( Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord.' 

" To the right of the arch of Titus, as seen from the 
Capitol, stands the Palatine Hill, crowned with the 
crumbling remains of those palaces in which the Caesars 
moved the machinery of Rome's mighty and once irre- 
sistible empire. Not a trace remains of anything, but of 
the perishableness of earthly greatness ; and of this there 
is abundance. The ploughshare has passed over those 
scenes in which pride and luxury and cruelty held 
united sway ; and now, rank overgrowth and squalid 
wretchedness are left to declare how the glory which 
was not after godliness has passed away like a dream. 
If kings and empires were disposed to learn, a rich volume 



ROME. 



245 



of instruction is to be gathered from the Mons Palatinus, 
and the heart-humbling history which is embodied in 
the very name." — Fisk's Pastor's Memorial, 



ARCH Or TITUS. 

" We must ascend from the Colosseum towards the 
Arch of Titus — the distance is short. We have broken 
masses of brickwork and fragments of pillars, with the 
temple of Venus, and Rome, at our right ; the ruins of 
the Palatine, not hidden by the vegetable gardens, on 
our left. As we approach the beautiful Arch of Titus 
slowly, we have an opportunity of examining its pro- 
portions, ornaments, and bas-reliefs. The extreme 
whiteness of the marble, which is as if cut yesterday 
from the quarry, proves the purity of the air, which 
seems peculiarly favourable to the preservation of archi- 
tectural edifices. The arch of Titus is much smaller, 
but more elegant than that of Constantine, and has but 
a carriage-way through the centre. The carvings relate 
to Jewish ceremonies, and the monument has a profound 
interest in reference to the history and prophecies of 
Christianity. The interior is decorated with two bas- 
reliefs ; one represents Titus in his triumphal car, 
crowned with victory, and surrounded by the Roman 
soldiers carrying the fasces ; the other represents a pro- 
cession, with the spoils of the Temple, the seven-branched 
candlestick, the trumpets, the table with the shew-bread, 
and the captive Jews, &c. We can read the historian's 
narrative of the triumph of the conqueror of the Jews 
with a deep interest. 

" ' The Senate had decreed a triumph for the Emperor, 
and another for Titus. Vespasian chose to wait till he 
had a partner to enjoy the glory of the day. They 
both entered Rome in the same triumphal car ; the pomp 
and magnificence displayed on the occasion exceeded all 
former splendour. The spoils of war, the wealth of 
conquered nations, the wonders of art, and the riches 



246 



ROME. 



of Egypt, a* well as Jerusalem, presented a spectacle 
that dazzled the eye. and filled the spectators with 
delight and wonder. The colours and ensigns exhibited 
a lively representation of the Jewish war : — the battles 
that were fought : the cities that were stormed ; the 
towers and temples that were wrapped in flames ; all 
were drawn with art, and decorated with the richest 
colouring. The prisoners of war formed a long pro- 
cession; " — Whiteside's Italy. 



THE APPIAN WAT. 

" Quitting the city by the (gate of St. John) we had 
on our right the remains of the Appian way, with its 
fragments of ancient Roman tombs. On the left were 
the aqueducts — those splendid and costly means for sup- 
plying Rome with her overflowing fulness of fountains. 

(t Our route lay towards Albano, near to which the 
Appian way is met by the more modern road. A drive 
of between three and four hours brought us to Albano, 
from the heights of which the eye could range over the 
whole Campagna, — bounded on one side by the Mediter- 
ranean, and on the other by the Apennines, and there lay 
Rome — that once ''mio'htv heart' — with her now faint 
pulsation, scarcely telling of life ... it was something 
thus to look down on Rome — as the seat of some of the 
earth's most astounding dramas — as the seat of apostasy's 
worst form. 

- On our right, as we descended from the carriage, 
and proceeded on foot up the hills of Albano, we had a 
tract of rich agricultural country, bounded by the sea 
. . . "We were on the very road traversed by St Paul, 
when, after his shipwreck, he went up to Rome byway of 
Appii Forum and the Three Taverns, the usually assigned 
sites of which places lay before us. Although, in all 
probability, the country has in many of its details un- 
dergone considerable change since it was visited by the 
great Apostle of the Gentiles, yet it was deeply interest- 



ROME. 



247 



ing to know, that its main features, the grand outlines 
of mountain, hill, valley and ocean, as they now exist, 
had been gazed on by him . . . (We crossed the Pontine 
marshes during the night, and) it was shortly after day- 
break that we reached Terracina, which is washed by 
the blue waves of the Mediterranean . . . The Appian 
way passed through Terracina . . , (We examined part 
of it) which runs through the town towards Rome. We 
traced it distinctly, in greater or less degrees of preser- 
vation, nearly to the point where it was met by the 
present road over the Pontine marshes ; and the greater 
part of it is as fresh, and in as solid a state, as at any 
time during the existence of ancient Rome. While 
walking on this memorable road, it was not by any 
means an effort of the imagination to conceive that our 
feet were actually pressing the very stones on which 
St. Paul trod in his way to Rome, after having appealed 
to Osesar ; for it is more than probable that he journeyed 
on foot, such being the customary mode of travelling ; 
and in earlier days it was usual even for persons of dis- 
tinction to travel as pedestrians. What changes has 
Rome undergone since the day on which the Apostle 
trod the Appian way ! How unlike is the Christianity 
now professed there, to that which had gained ground 
when he addressed his Epistle ' to all that be in Rome, 
beloved of God, called to be saints !' How deep must 
have been the emotion of his energetic and heavenly 
mind, when toiling along the Appian way, not only to 
make good his appeal to Caesar, but also to visit the 
Church which Divine grace had planted in the heart of 
Pagan Rome." — Fisk's Pastors Memorial, <kc. 

The road we are about to travel was constructed by 
Appius Claudius the Censor, at a very early period. 
" It was the first real highway, and was rightly called 
after him, the Appian Way, as by the poets it was 
named for its superior excellence, ' the Queen of Roads.' 

" This ancient road was, in fact, a raised causeway, 
formed of three layers of materials, and paved with 



248 



ROME. 



flint stones ; time could make on sucli a work little 
impression. From examining the remains of similar 
pavements in Rome, we can understand the severity of 
the fatigue in travelling over so hard and rough a sub- 
stance. Moreover, although the ancients surpassed us 
in many things, they had no conception of the comfort 
and elegance of our modern carriages, nor indeed would 
our conveyances have been well adapted to their roads. 

" We have, in traversing this region, an incentive to 
the perusal of history, classics, poetry, and Scripture. 
A spot is pointed out some miles beyond Aricia, named 
the Three Taverns (tribus tavemis). The verse in the 
Acts instantly recurs to the memory, reminding us of 
the mightiest event in the history of the world — of 
Christianity itself. The great Apostle who trod this 
path, helped to found a religion in the West, which has 
extinguished paganism, and will overspread the world. 
Empires may pass away, but the truth of God is ever- 
lasting . . . 

" There were several stations on this famous road, as 
the Forum Appii, Tres Pontium, Tres Tabernse, Ad 
Medias ; these were no doubt market towns . . . The 
place now called Foro Appio, in the Pontine marshes, is a 
miserable habitation almost in ruins. There we stopped 
to refresh our horses * the padrone had gone to mass to 
a neighbouring barn, and taken the key of his delight- 
ful abode (the resort of brigands) with him. Our walk 
enabled us to catch the character of the surrounding 
flats j unhealthy they must be, for the people who 
crawled out of their miserable hovels had a pallid and 
dismal aspect. 

" Here again were we reminded of St. Paul ; pro- 
bably at this very spot the mighty champion of our 
faith was met by the brethren, 6 whom when he saw he 
thanked God and took courage.' None so truly great 
ever trod this path before or since. This place must be 
sacred in the recollection of Christians." — See White- 
side's Italy. 



ROME. 



249 




CATACOMBS AT ROME. 

" The subterranean galleries which penetrate the soil 
surrounding the city of Rome, after having for four 
centuries served as a refuge and a sanctuary to the 
ancient Church, were nearly lost sight of during the 
disorder occasioned by barbarian invaders. As the 
knowledge of their windings could only be preserved by 
constant use, the principal entrances alone remained 
accessible ; and even these were gradually neglected and 
blocked up by rubbish, with the exception of two or 
three which were still resorted to, and decorated afresh 
from time to time. In the sixteenth century, the whole 
range of catacombs was reopened, and the entire contents, 
which had remained absolutely untouched during more 
than a thousand years, were restored to the world . . . 
It is difficult now to realize the impression which must 
have been made upon the first explorers of this subter- 
ranean city. A vast necropolis, rich in the bones of 



250 



ROME. 



saints and martyrs ; a stupendous testimony to the truth 
of Christian history, a faithful record of the trials of a 
persecuted Church — such were the objects presented to 
their view. 

" St. Jerome speaks of visiting on Sundays these se- 
pulchres of the martyrs, and writes that he was wont 
' to go down into the crypts dug in the heart of the 
earth, where the walls on either side are lined with the 
dead 1 . . . here and there a scanty aperture, ill deserving 
the name of window, admits scarcely light enough to 
mitigate the gloom which reigns below.' 

" The Christians did not begin the excavation of the 
catacombs, but appropriated to their own use the sub- 
terranean galleries originally dug to provide the mate- 
rials for building Rome. These Christian cemeteries 
are free from all admixture of Pagan bodies. In these re- 
mains c the church which (was) in Babylon, saluteth' us. 

" The origin of the catacombs was as follows. The 
great increase which took place in the magnificence of 
ancient Rome, naturally led to the formation of quarries 
in the immediate neighbourhood. The custom of digging 
sand from these crypts or galleries being established, the 
whole subsoil on one side of Rome was in course of time 
perforated by a network of excavations, spreading at 
least to a distance of fifteen miles. The catacombs 
having been originally dug by the Pagans for sandpits 
and quarries, it remains to be shown in what manner 
the Christians became connected with them. The sand 
diggers were persons of the lowest grade : there is rea- 
son to suppose that Christianity spread very early 
among them; for, in time of persecution, the converts 
employed in the subterranean passages not only took 
refuge there themselves, but also put the whole Church 
in possession of these otherwise inaccessible retreats. It 
appears . . . that the primitive confessors were at times 
sentenced to work in the sand-pits . . . The fact that the 
catacombs were employed as a refuge from persecution, 

1 The graves were cut in the walls. 



ROME, 



251 



rests upon good evidence . . . Had the intricacies of the 
catacombs been known to the heathen authorities, or the 
entrances few in number, they would doubtless have 
afforded an insecure asylum. But the entrances were 
numberless, scattered over the Campagna for miles, and 
the labyrinth below was so occupied by the Christians, 
and so blocked up in various places by them, that pur- 
suit must have been almost useless. Some noble wit- 
nesses to the truth were martyred in the catacombs, and 
one of these is said to have lived eight years there. 
The discovery of wells and springs in various parts as- 
sists us in understanding how life could be supported 
in those dismal regions. Food was brought to the 
sufferers by relatives, friends, or servants. 

" There existed formerly on the walls of the catacombs 
many paintings, representing individuals of the lowest 
class, employed in excavating an overhanging rock, with 
a lamp suspended from the summit. A copy of one of 
these is annexed. The inscription is, ' Diogenes the 
Fossor, buried in peace,' &c. 

" On either side is seen a dove with an olive branch, 
the common emblem of Christian peace. The pickaxe 
and lamp together plainly designate the subterranean 
excavator; while the spike by which the lamp is sus- 
pended from the rock, the cutting instruments and 
compasses used in marking out the graves, and the 
chapel lined with tombs, among which the fossor 
stands, mark as distinctly the whole routine of his 
occupations, as the cross on his dress, his Christian 
profession . . , Could we imagine the humble Diogenes 
to look out from the entrance to the crypt, and behold, 
in their present splendour, the domes and palaces of 
Christian Rome ; to see the cross which he could only 
wear in secret on his coarse woollen tunic, glittering 
from every pinnacle of the city, (how would he hail the 
sight, as proving that idolatry was at an end !) He 
hastens to the nearest temple to give thanks for the 
marvellous change : (but) he stops short at the threshold, 



252 



ROME. 



(for the incense, and images, and purple-bearing train 
he encounters, are more nearly allied to heathen than 
Christian worship!)" — See Maitlaxd's Church in the 
Catacombs. 




XERO'S CIRCUS.— PIAZZA 1 01 ST. PETER'S. 
" Awful reflections arise, while we stand on this spot, 
for it is the site of Xero's Circus, where a terrible per- 
secution made havoc of the early Christians. The 
monster, to shift from himself the charge of having 
set fire to Rome, wickedly tried, by false accusers, 

1 This is the immense area, or open space, before the great Church of 
St. Peter's at Rome. 



ROME. 



253 



to fasten it on the followers of Him who preached 
mercy and peace to all men. Tacitus admits the false- 
hood of the accusation ; disbelieviDg revealed truth, he 
condemns the horrid cruelties inflicted on innocent men. 
c They were put to death with exquisite cruelty, and to 
their sufferings Nero added mockery and derision. Some 
were covered with the skins of wild beasts, and left to 
be devoured by dogs ; others were nailed to the cross ; 
numbers were burnt alive ; and many, covered over with 
inflammable matter, were lighted up, when the day 
declined, to serve as torches during the night.' This 
circus witnessed the dreadful exhibition described by 
the historian." — Whiteside's Italy. 



254 



PUTEOLI. 




PUTEOLI. 

POZZUOLI— THE PUTEOLI OT ST. PAUL— ANTIQUITIES— TEMPLE OT 
JUPITER — MOLE — CEMEZsT. 

BCBIPTURB NOTICE. 

" TVe came the next day to Puteoli ; where we found 
brethren, and were desired to tarry with them seven days ; 
and so we went toward Home/' — Acts xxviii. 13. 14. 

Pozzuoli. the ancient Puteoli, is distant about rive 
miles from Naples, and probably was in ancient times 
the larger city. It lies on the edge of a little pro- 
montory jutting out into the water, and opposite the 
celebrated Bay of Baia?. a steep hill rising up behind it. 

" I was anxious to visit Pozzuoli — the ; Puteoli' at 
which Sc. Paul arrived, when, having fetched a compass 
from Syracuse, and come to Ehegium. the south-western 



PUTEOLI. 



255 



breeze bore him onwards to the Italian shore. At 
length my eyes rested on the honoured spot ; and, re- 
viewing the course of my journey from Rome, partly 
along the Appian way, I was enabled to recall the 
scenes through which the great Apostle passed, pressing 
onwards to the 6 eternal city' — a prisoner in the hands 
of a Roman centurion, a fearless witness of the ' faith 
on.ce delivered to the saints.' Ages have rolled by — 
governments have flourished and decayed, and dynasties 
have crumbled ; yet amidst the wreck, two things have 
remained permanent — the track of the Apostle's journey 
in the cause of eternal truth, and the record of his 
apostleship written in pages of living light by the finger 
of the Spirit of God. Pozzuoli is now an insignificant 
town, as viewed at a little distance. Its inhabitants are 
very generally occupied in fishing. t In the immediate 
neighbourhood are the remains of a temple of Jupiter 
Serapis, many parts of which are in good preservation, 
and convey an idea of its original beauty." — Fisk's 
Pastor's Memorial, (he. 

" You drive through a straight long alley of poplar 
trees ; to these the vines in the grounds on each side are 
trained in festoons, two or three of which are carried 
quite across the road. At the end of the avenue the sea 
opens to the left, the land ending in a bluff point, close 
to which is the small rocky islet of Nisita. The rocks 
bordering the right of the road, are bold and picturesque. 
Their tops and sides are covered with a quantity of the 
prickly pear, and various stone-plants. You see as you 
approach Pozzuoli a hole cut through the living stone, 
for the course of an aqueduct, and immediately after- 
wards the remains of brickwork, part of the ancient 
Puteoli. 

"... Its situation, on a rock jutting out into a bay, 
displays it to a spectator at Baise 1 with singular advan- 
tage ; a trifling circumstance, to which perhaps it owed 

1 The fine old castle of Baise stands on a little promontory exactly 
opposite PozzuolL 



256 



PUTEOLI. 



its increase and prosperity, when in the more luxurious 
ages of Rome. Baiae and its environs became the seat of 
pleasure and magnificence. In fact, it is plain from the 
extensive surface over which remains of Puteoli are seen, 
that it must have flourished wonderfully under the 
Romans . . . 

u As the most distant point of this excursion to 
Pozzuoli, it is usual to walk first to the Solfatara. This 
is the crater of an exhausted volcano . . . now a small 
oval plain, shut in on every side with hills, leaving only 
a comparatively narrow aperture where the road passes 
by which we enter. The ground and bottom of the hills 
are nearly white, which is relieved only by some rank 
weeds and the green brushwood near the tops of the 
heights. On the right of the entrance is a manufactory 
of sulphur, the principal material drawn from hence, 
and from which the spot takes its name . . . 

"In a garden, which may be taken returning from 
the Solfatara, are some tombs, discovered about four 
months before we paid our visit to them. They are 
four in number, and were found in a vault about fourteen 
feet long, paved and roofed with mosaic. The sarcophagi 
are of marble, ornamented with bad sculpture ; but are 
without any inscription which might indicate who 
owned the sepulchre. 

" Xot far from this garden is a long subterranean 
building, sustained upon massy piers, which, the first 
time we saw it was dry, and we walked about in all 
parts of it ; but it has since been applied to its original 
purpose of a water tank. There can be little doubt of 
its having served for this object, as the remains of the 
aqueducts which led off the water to Puteoli are still 
visible. In short, nearly the whole length of the road 
by which you go to the above and following antiquities, 
has on one side of it an aqueduct carried under ground. 
Near this reservoir are the remains of a large amphi- 
theatre, called by the country people, II Coliseo, with no 
other reason than because the amphitheatre at Rome is 



PUTEOLI. 



257 



so styled. It is much ruined, and the arena and seats 
are covered with turf, fruit trees, and vegetables, which 
have a pretty effect from the top of the arches. But the 
ground tier of arcades is nearly perfect, showing still 
the dens for wild beasts, and the stone troughs out of 
which they drank ... In the side arches of this tier 
some chapels have been fitted up to some saints supposed 
to have suffered martyrdom on the arena of this am- 
phitheatre . . . 

" Passing from hence to the temple of Jupiter Serapis, 
on the road are found some ruins of two temples . . . 
These are at present little more than shapeless masses of 
brick . . . 

" The most interesting ruin at Pozzuoli, is what is 
called the Temple of Jupiter Serapis ... It has been 
covered several times by the eruptions of the Solfatara, 
and is consequently in a very mutilated condition, but 
the volcanic cinders have been removed as often as they 
have fallen upon it. The marble pavement remains. 
We still see too, the walls of the forty-two chambers 
which formed the boundary of the temple, the circular 
elevation in the centre, for the sacrifices, the pedestals of 
columns and statues, four pillars standing erect, several 
lying on the ground, with friezes, imposts, capitals, and 
bases, the rings for binding the victims, and the vessels 
for receiving their blood . . . The two largest columns 
standing are at the entrance of the sanctuary, and are 
of Cipollino marble. These, as well as those which have 
been displaced and are prostrate on the floor, have been 
covered to a certain height by the sea water, and now 
exhibit a singular instance of the diligence of what is 
commonly called the sea worm, whose long shell has 
pierced to the depth of two inches into the marble, and 
covered a part of it with holes ... A warm mineral 
spring covers the greater part of the pavement, which 
runs in principally at a corner chamber, supposed to 
have served for the purification of the priests. There is 
a small marble canal all round the chamber, as if for 

s 



258 



PUTEOLI. 



washing the feet. On our second visit to the temple, we 
found that the bishop of Pozzuoli had converted some of 
the chambers into baths of the mineral spring, for in- 
valids j but they do not obtrude themselves disagreeably 
upon the eye, in contrast to the rest of the ruin. On 
the same side with the baths, a part has been laid out 
in an orange and lemon garden, which produced the 
most delightful effect. From hence the view of the ruin 
and its environs is particularly good. 

" The cathedral of Pozzuoli stands on the site, and is 
partly composed of the ruins of an ancient temple . . . 

" In the gulf of Pozzuoli some ancient brick piers are 
seen, on two or three of which, arches still remain. 
These are part of a mole built to break the force of the 
waves, and to facilitate the shipping business, which 
flourished in the bright days of Puteoli . . . The mole 
was at one time paved with marble, and decorated at 
the entrance next the town with a triumphal arch . . . 
The astonishing stability of these brick piers, which 
have stood unmoved for ages agaiost the violence of the 
waves, while those which have been displaced, were 
overturned by the force of earthquakes alone, naturally 
lead me to speak of the famous Pozzuolan cement, the 
principal cause of their firmness and durability . . . 

" The ancients say of this cement . . . ■ There is a sort 
of dust, which by its natural properties causes wonderful 
effects . . . This dust when it is mixed with lime, not 
only gives firmness to every sort of building, but renders 
solid and durable even those moles which are constructed 
under water in the sea.'" — Wilson's Tours on the Con- 
tinent. 

" When we reach the water's side, we see stretching 
over towards Baiae the remains of thirteen arches out 
of twenty-five originally built, belonging to Caligula's 
Mole. The ruins are plainly visible, standing in the water 
which flows in between each arch . . . Possibly on 'the 
spot where we are now standing, St. Paul landed . . . 
What more interesting than to trace the progress of the 



PUTEOLI. 



259 



mighty Apostle on his glorious mission from this place 
to the Eternal City ! 

" Puteoli was an ancient Greek city, famous for its 
justice — and its name was derived from the numerous 
hot and cold springs with which it abounded. The 
Eomans saw its advantages for commercial purposes, 
improved the harbour, and made it a great naval station. 
Tacitus informs us that the monster, Nero, 1 indulged in 
aquatic excursions near Puteoli, which appears then to 
have been considered the most delicious region in the 
world." — Whiteside's Italy. 

1 The young reader may not know, that it was in the reign of the 
Roman Emperor Nero, that St. Paul suffered imprisonment and martyr- 
dom at Rome. In his Epistle to Timothy, the Apostle calls him " the 
Lion," an appellation well describing his fierce and cruel character. — 
2 Tim. iv. 16, 17. 



CHAPTER VIII. 



ISLANDS 01 THE MEDITERRANEAN, 

Sicily.— Syracuse, Messina, Catania, Etna, Palermo, Marsala. 
Melita (Malta).— Valetta. 

Crete, or Ca^dia.— Natural Productions of Crete— Hospitality — Cretan 

Cottage— Grottoes . 
Mitylese— Chios— Samos— Trogylltum— Miletus. 
Patmos. 
JSgeah Sea. 
Coos— Rhodes— Cntdus. 
Cytrus.— Paphos— Salamis. 



SYRACUSE. 



SICILY, 

SYRACUSE MESSINA — CATANIA — ETNA — PALERMO — MARSALA. 

SCRIPTURE NOTICE. 

" And landing at Syracuse, we tarried there three 
days." — Acts xxviii. 12. 

" I sailed from Malta to Syracuse, where I landed 
after a prosperous and pleasant voyage. 

" Sicily is greater in its extent than any other island 
in the Mediterranean, and is presumed at one time to 
have joined to Italy, but separated by the encroachments 
of the sea and the effect of earthquakes. Syracuse is 
pointed out as the place where the apostle Paul landed 
on his way to Borne. The harbour is six miles in 
length, and presents a beautiful prospect. I was de- 
lighted by hearing many of the Sicilians, who, when 



262 



SICILY. 



the shades of night had fallen, surrounded the vessels, 
playing most charmingly on the guitar. 

" The city was formerly very flourishing, and the 
remains of the ancient amphitheatre, on an elevation, a 
short distance from the present town, are still very dis- 
tinct. I visited the cavern which has been called ' the 
Ear of Dionysius, or loquacious grotto f and this place, 
which appears to defy all decay from the operations of 
time, is evidently an excavation in a rock, in the form 
of the human ear, on the principle of a whispering 
gallery. It is nearly two hundred feet in length and 
seventy in breadth ; and here the tyrant was in the 
practice of confining prisoners of state, by which means 
he could listen to all that passed, as the slightest move- 
ment or faintest sigh from them could be overheard 
by him ... It was impossible, from its height, to get at 
the chamber of the tyrant . . . We visited a range of 
subterraneous catacombs or sepulchral chambers, formed 
into streets, with niches on each side for the reception 
of bodies. The whole of these vast undertakings may 
enable us to judge of the grandeur and magnificence of 
the original city of Syracuse. On the banks here grows 
the papyrus. The celebrated fountain, Arethusa, has 
become a most filthy place, being now always used for 
washing linen, &c. Here many heathen ceremonies 
were anciently practised, and the nymphs who were 
supposed to preside over the springs and streams, wor- 
shipped by offerings of flowers thrown into the water. 
This usage seems to have been continued through a long 
succession of ages in some parts of England, as flowers 
are strewed, at certain festivals, on the Severn, and on 
the Welch rivers. 

" Everything in the modern Syracuse is dull, and 
the streets narrow. The inhabitants are very super- 
stitious, and have extraordinary confidence in the saints, 
who they think can obtain anything for them. 

" I embarked at Syracuse, and sailed for Messina, at 
the north-east extremity of the island . . . The harbour 



SICILY. 



263 



is the best in the Mediterranean, The quay extends 
nearly two miles, having in the centre a statue of 
Neptune. The appearance of the houses from the sea 
forms a fine contrast to the dark forests in the back- 
ground. The inhabitants celebrate the most extra- 
ordinary and superstitious festivals ; several in honour 
of the Virgin. The scenery about Messina is extremely 
beautiful. The silk-worm has been cultivated there 
with great success. I embarked here with a view of 
proceeding to Catania, and sailing through the gulf of 
Oharybdis — a famous whirlpool, having the appear- 
ance of a large space in the surface of the sea being in 
terrible agitation. Through this dangerous gulf the 
brave Nelson led a British fleet. The Messinees have 
long been and are still distinguished for their powers in 
diving in search of pearls, corals, sponges, &c. 

" After passing this perilous place, and thinking 
every moment the bark would have been swallowed up, 
I soon had a distinct view of Etna, towering aloft, with 
a flood of lava, which swept like a mountain torrent 
down its rugged sides, carrying desolation along with it, 
till it fell hissing and boiling in the sea. I landed at 
the city of Catania, which is distinguished for its coral 
fisheries, and is as beautiful as any in Sicily. It is 
encircled with enormous masses of red lava from an 
erruption in 1669 ; the appearance of the lava, with the 
exception of its colour, being similar to that of vast 
hard sheets of ice. The inhabitants of this place are in 
a state of perpetual danger ; for which their beautiful 
climate and delicious fruit hardly compensate them. 

" On Sunday I witnessed a disgusting and sinful 
exhibition in honour of the Virgin Mary. It is almost 
incredible to perceive the superstition of this people. 

" The approach to Palermo, the capital of Sicily, from 
the bay, is truly beautiful and picturesque. It is situ- 
ated in a fertile plain, with mountains in the back- 
ground. Palermo was once very celebrated, and during 
years of scarcity, the grain of Sicily was shipped here to 



264 



MELITA. 



all countries on the Mediterranean. The public build- 
ings are magnificent ; but the chief curiosity is a set of 
subterranean chambers, in which the bodies of the dead 
are preserved in standing attitudes : it is a horrible 
spectacle. During my stay in the capital, it was visited 
with the Sirocco wind, which occasioned excessive 
languor, and blew a fine dry dust into every part of the 
houses . . . 

" A storm obliged us to take shelter in Marsala, situ- 
ated on a low promontory, on the western coast of the 
island. Here is an immense establishment for making 
wine, called Marsala, or Bronti Madeira. The cellars 
are immense, and have passages through them like lanes 
or streets. 

" Splendid aqueducts at one time brought water to 
the inhabitants from the springs of the mountains ; and 
at one period there was a strong fortress, and excellent 
harbour, now filled up with stones. An ancient edifice 
was lately discovered by means of heavy rains, which 
had remained buried for ages. 

u Of all nations, none has fallen more from its former 
pre-eminence than Sicily." — Abridged from Rae Wil- 
son's Travels, 



MELITA (MALTA). 

YALETTA. 
SCRIPTURE NOTICE. 

" And when they were escaped, then they knew that 
the island was called Melita." — Acts xxviii. 1. ; (Read 
tover. 10.) 



It has been a question with some whether the Melita 
which was the scene of St. Paul's shipwreck, is the pre- 
sent Malta, or an island in the Adriatic Sea. There is, 



MELITA. 



265 



however, little doubt that the former is the correct 
opinion — as will appear from the following argument. 

" When St. Paul departed from the island where he 
had been shipwrecked; he embarked in a vessel that had 
wintered at that island on its way from Alexandria to 
Puteoli. Now, for that vessel to have gone to the 
Melita of the Adriatic, which lies off the Dalmatian 
coast, would have been immensely out of the way : 
whereas, Malta is exactly in the direct course between 
Alexandria and Puteoli. Moreover, Malta was a place 
of trade, and in all probability the vessel discharged 
there a cargo of wheat from Egypt, and took in a cargo 
of cotton, for the growth of which Malta was then 
noted. Besides, St. Paul mentions that, in their pro- 
gress, they touched at Syracuse, which would have been 
again out of the way for a vessel voyaging from the 
Adriatic Melita to Puteoli. For, assuming that he 
sailed from the Adriatic Melita, it would have been 
unnecessarily dipping down to the southward to touch 
at Syracuse, and from thence he must have again steered 
northward in order to regain the course by Reggio 
and the Straits of Messina ; whereas Syracuse lies in 
the direct and unavoidable course from Malta to those 
straits, through which, under either supposition, St. 
Paul decidedly passed." — Temples and Tombs of Egypt. 

Another traveller thus writes : — " We read St. Paul's 
account of approaching Malta, in the twenty-seventh of 
Acts, as we advanced towards the island ... At half- 
past one, we were off St. Paul's Bay, — where the apostle 
is supposed to have been shipwrecked. As we advanced 
towards La Valetta, the capital of Malta, its lofty walls, 
forts, towers, spires and fine edifices, impressed us with 
the strength and beauty of the city . . . Just before we 
entered the harbour, about twenty small boats, finely 
painted and manned by natives, met us, requesting to 
tow us in. They surrounded the vessel and importuned 
the captain like so many harpies for the job ; but the 
pilot's dexterity superseded the necessity of their aid. 



266 



MELITA. 



We rode majestically into the harbour and threw out 
our anchor. 

" The island of Malta is composed of white limestone, 1 
so soft, that much of its surface is beaten up and pul- 
verized, and formed into cultivated terraces. The soil 
thus obtained is extremely fertile, and produces excellent 
crops, particularly fruits. The climate is very mild, 
there being little or no winter on the island. Oranges 
and lemons were in their prime on the trees when we 
were there in the middle of November. Its inhabitants 
are about as dark as the American Indians. They are 
a mixed race ; said to have descended from Arabs and 
Carthaginians ; and they speak a corrupt dialect of the 
Arabic, containing many words from the old Punic lan- 
guage. La Valet ta, the capital of the island, is a fine 
city. It is cleanly and well paved ; and its houses are 
well built of stone. They are very high and airy, and 
form delightful residences. House-rent is low ; and its 
ample and well-stocked markets furnish provisions and 
clothing remarkably cheap . . . Some of the churches in 
Malta are very large and splendid edifices. St. John's, 
which we visited, is the most celebrated. Its vaults are 
filled with the ashes of saints, — its walls covered with 
gaudy paintings, — its floors are of a superior order, — 
its dome is mounted with several large bells, which are 
almost constantly chiming as the signal of some religious 
festivity, — and it is altogether a most imposing monu- 
ment of the idolatrous worship of Rome. Many other 
churches on the island are of the same general descrip- 
tion. The greatest nuisances of Malta are its hosts 
of beggars and priests. The former are in some mea- 
sure the agents, as well as the offspring, of the latter. 
The beggars are so numerous and importunate in the 
streets, as seriously to impede one's passing. They would 
even seize hold upon us like ravenous animals, stun our 

l The Malta limestone is exported in large quantities to Constantinople 
and other places in the Levant, for paving the open courts, &c. of the houses. 
It is very soft and easily wrought. 



MELITA. 



267 



ears with their entreaties, sometimes pathetically appeal- 
ing to %is for the souls of their friends in purgatory, — an 
artifice far more successful with Papists than with us 
Protestants ; to the use of which the miserable mendi- 
cants had doubtless been instructed by the wily priest- 
hood. The capital, which contains about twenty thousand 
inhabitants, is said to be scourged by at least eleven 
hundred priests of various orders ; including, to be sure, 
the inmates of the convents ; but all of whom must feed 
upon the famished population. These priests thronged the 
streets in all directions and at all hours of the day, like 
swarms of locusts, eager to devour the land. Some of them 
were mere boys, twelve or fourteen years old, whose broad- 
brimmed hats and other grotesque canonicals, gave to 
them a truly ludicrous appearance. In few places in the 
world, and perhaps nowhere, does the Pope reign with 
more tyrannical sway, than in Malta. Nowhere have 
I seen a more squalid, miserable, priest-ridden popu- 
lace. 

" La Yaletta is a strongly fortified city. This, 
rendered well-nigh impregnable by art, and Gibraltar 
rock at the straits, which is fully so by nature, give to 
the English the perfect command of the Mediterranean. 
The town is also kept strongly garrisoned. There were, 
I think, five regiments in it when we were there, who 
were under the finest discipline. One of them was the 
famous 42nd regiment of Scotch Highlanders. They 
were tall, athletic men, and their highland costume, 
with their legs bare to the knee, give to them a very 
hardy, warlike appearance." 

The Rev. Pliny Fisk writes : — " Valetta is built 
entirely of stone, and is consequently exempt from one 
of the greatest evils to be feared in the cities of the 
Levant; viz. fire. It would be almost impossible to 
burn a house here, if a person should undertake it ; 
and it would be quite impossible that a fire should 
spread in any part of the town . . . 

" We went to the grotto, which bears the name of 



268 



MELITA. 



St. Paul ... It is beneath a church ; indeed one of its 
apartments is a subterranean chapel. In another, which 
is about the size of a small bed-chamber, is a marble 
statue of the apostle. who, according to the tradition of 
the place, used to retire to this retreat for his devotions. 
A young ecclesiastic, who accompanied us. broke off 
some pieces of the stones, and gave them to us, saying, 
that they would prevent all harm from the bite of 
serpents. I inquired if he had ever experienced their 
efficacy ? He replied, ' Xo; but they say so. 5 " 

" The island of Malta is now declared European by 
British Act of Parliament, though in soil and climate of 
African stamp. It is about sixty miles in circumference, 
and little better by nature than a barren, glaring, lime- 
stone rock, the general aspect of which is painful to the 
eye, from the utter want of shade, and the predominance 
of stone wall enclosures. The soil has been in great 
measure brought from Sicily. The crop of the dwarf 
cotton plant is a staple commodity, and the oranges are 
far-famed, especially the blood-red, said to be a cross 
with the pomegranate. The population, about one 
hundred and thirty thousand, are a dark, bright-eyed, 
lively race ; the laDguage curious, from the prevalence 
of old Phoenician ; the religion strictly Roman Catholic. 
The women, in their black silk mantillas and hoods, are 
very pleasing ; their little fine-worked laced mittens, 
cuffs, and ruffs, are in high esteem with European ladies. 
The climate is very hot, but very healthy ; except du- 
ring the African or Sirocco wind, which is debilitating 
and oppressive, blowing principally in autumn. The 
summer heat is tempered by the north breeze, and the 
pressed snow from Etna affords a cheap and delicious 
luxury. Yaletta looks oriental or Saracenic, or rather 
Spanish, with its massive balconies and deep shadows. 
The streets are beautifully built of the island stone, and 
though steep, are well paved. The numberless steps 
(plague the feet of travellers ;) but whatever the feet 
might have to say of Yaletta, the eyes must acknowledge 



MELITA. 



269 



themselves delighted 1 . . . English cleanliness, grafted 
upon southern cheerfulness and sunshine, renders Malta 
delightful." — Kozrani in Egypt and Syria. 

" At about ten o'clock we descried land on our left. 
We had been, like St. Paul, ' driven up and down in 
Adria and instead of being amidst the islands of the 
Archipelago, we found ourselves far up in the Adriatic, 
but bearing down in a south-easterly direction, the land 
on our left proved to be Zante. 

" Turning to the narrative of St. Paul's shipwreck, it 
became a deeply interesting fact to my mind, that almost 
on the very spot, as it were, in which St. Paul encoun- 
tered the like peril, we had experienced the special 
mercies of God. As to the particular locality, it may 
be remarked, that the only observable difference is this 
— the apostle was on his way towards Malta — we, en 
route from it : but both were driven up and down in 
Adria. (The Adriatic Sea in those days was used to 
comprehend the whole of the sea between Greece, Italy, 
and Africa.) That Malta is the island intended by St. 
Luke, is to my mind sufficiently evident, from the fol- 
lowing considerations. The apostle left the island on 
which he was wrecked — whatever it might have been — 
in a ship of Alexandria, which had wintered there on 
her voyage to Italy ; and after touching at Syracuse and 
Rhegium, landed at Puteoli, thus sailing in a direct 
course. The Illyrican Melita would be far out of the 
usual track from Alexandria to Italy; and in sailing 
from it to Rhegium, Syracuse also would be out of the 
direct course. The fact, that the ship was tossed all 
night prior to the wreck, in the Adriatic Sea, does not 
lessen the probability of its being afterwards driven 
upon Malta ; because the name Adria was applied to 
the whole Ionian sea, which lay between Italy and 
Greece." — Fisk's Pastors Memorial, <kc. 

1 Etna, 100 miles distant, is seen from the high ground, rearing half its 
giant form out of the sea, soaring 11,000 feet above its level. They say 
the cinders fall here in showers during the great eruptions, which light up 
sea and land in lurid grandeur. 



270 



CRETE. 




GULF OF KHANIA. 



CRETE, OB CAXDIA. 

NATURAL PRODUCTIONS 01 CRETE — HOSPITALITY — CRETAN COTTAGE 
— GROTTOES. 

SCRIPTURE NOTICE. 

" And when we had sailed slowly many days, and 
scarce were come over against Cnidus, the wind not 
suffering us, we sailed under Crete, over against Sal- 
mone ; And, hardly passing it, came unto a place which 
is called The Fair Havens ; nigh whereunto was the city 
of Lasea . . . And because the haven was not commo- 
dious to winter in, the more part advised to depart 
thence also, if by any means they might attain to 
Phenice, and there to winter; which is an haven of 
Crete, and lieth toward the south-west and north-west. 
And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that 



CRETE. 



271 



they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence, they 
sailed close by Crete." — Acts xxvii. 7, 8, 12, 13. 

u Crete, one of the finest islands in the Mediterranean, 
now called Candia, was celebrated for its early legislati ve 
code, its civilization, its superstitions, as well as for its 
natural productions in oil, wine, and fruits. It lies 
south-west of Peloponnesus and west of Asia Minor ; is 
about one hundred and eighty miles long, and twenty 
broad ; and is computed to have nearly three hundred 
thousand inhabitants, who, as of old, bear but an indif- 
ferent moral character. 

"Formerly, there were about equal numbers of Greeks 
and Mahommedans; but since the transfer of the territory 
to the Pasha of Egypt, Mahomet Ali, the number of 
Mahommedans has considerably increased. In the capital 
there are fourteen Turkish mosques, a Greek cathedral 
and church, an Armenian church, and a Roman Catholic 
monastery. 

" Crete was at an early period the site of a Christian 
church, of which Titus was the first Bishop." — Fisk's 
Pastor's Memorial. 

Crete is celebrated for the number and copiousness 
of its springs and fountains at the present day. Mr. 
Pashley mentions " a most copious source," a fountain, 
under two fine plane trees, at the extremity of a little 
valley, full of cypresses, bay trees, orange trees, carobs, 
platanes, and myrtles. The place is so entirely aban- 
doned, that no one comes even to gather the oranges. 
The orange tree flourishes greatly in Crete, and no less 
than twelve different kinds of this fruit are produced in 
the island, and the varieties of the lemon are nearly as 
numerous. The quince tree was once peculiar to this 
island, and derived its name from the Cretan city, Cydonia, 
near which it grew. The Cretans have a firm belief in 
the existence of water-spirits, &c. 

The consumption of olive oil is very great in Crete. 
" All Crete is used to oil," say they, " more than other 



272 



CRETE. 



places." For this purpose, the olive-tree is much cul- 
tivated. " A mother will hardly give bread to her chil- 
dren without pouring them some oil out into a dish, 
that they may moisten the staff of life, and render it 
more savoury before eating it. Oil is used with all kinds 
of vegetables, as well as in preparing every sort of meat 
and fish ; in short, it enters into every dish in Crete." 




GLEN IN CRETE. 

Vultures, eagles, and falcons, build their nests in 
this island, in difficult and precipitous places, among 
rocks which look towards the sea. " We disturbed a flock 
of ten large vultures, of a light brown colour, with wings 
which were nearly black, as they were feeding on the 
body of a kid lying near our path." 

The cypress also grows abundantly, and in great 
perfection. It is a common way of describing a hand- 



CRETE. 



273 



some woman, to say, " She is tall and beautiful as a 
cypress." Describing the scenery in part of this island, 
Mr. Pashley writes : — " We had a beautiful cloudless 
sky; our course lay near the shore . . . We met 
several droves of mules and asses laden with oil for 
Khania; and . . . saw the village of Platania, on a 
rocky elevation about half-a-mile from the shore, and 
a mile before us. Soon after passing it we crossed its 
rapid stream, which rises in the White Mountains, and 
after flowing between two villages, runs through a valley 
formed by low hills, and filled, especially near the stream, 
with lofty platanes ; from which both the village and 
river obtain their names. Yines twine around most of 
these platanes to the height of thirty or forty feet, and 
are of a size unknown in France or Italy, the thick- 
ness of many of their stems being that of an ordinary 
man's waist. These vines are never pruned, and in con- 
sequence of the shadiness of their situation, their fruit 
does not ripen till after the common vintage ; they thus 
supply the bazar of Khania with grapes for the whole 
month of November, and, I believe, even till near Christ- 
mas. The varied scenery produced by these noble plane 
trees in the valley of Platania, is very beautiful, and is 
one of the objects best worth viewing by those who visit 
Khania, and can stay only a short time in the island." 

The Cretan wine is frequently spoken of by ancient 
authors, and wines peculiar to the island are mentioned. 
In the reign of Henry VIIL, the commerce between 
Crete and England was very great, the former furnishing 
delicious sweet wines, as malmsey and muscadine, spoken 
of by our early poets, and the return from England con- 
sisting chiefly of woollen cloths. So great was the 
quantity of malmsey exported from Crete, that the wood 
annually imported to make casks to hold it, was a con- 
siderable article of commerce. Readers of English 
history will remember that the Duke of Clarence was 
drowned in a butt of malmsey, in 1478. 

The juice of the Cretan grape is rarely met with 



274 



CRETE. 



now out of the island, but all modern travellers who 
have tasted it agree in celebrating its praises. 

" Arriving at a Cretan village, the people were 
most anxious to do all they could for us; the Pro- 
estos spent some time himself in searching the village 
for eggs, which at last he found ; the only addition 
to them consisted of olives, black barley bread, and 
plenty of excellent water. The evening meal of my 
host and his wife, was a dish of wild herbs, on which 
the Cretans seem chiefly to live; they boil them and 
then serve them up in oil ; bread, olives, and sometimes 
cheese, completing the meal." 

At another place, " we supped on eggs and a salad 
of wild asparagus." 

Asparagus, such as we cultivate in our gardens, can 
scarcely be seen in Crete, but the wild plant grows all 
over the island, and is far superior to that produced by 
cultivation. 

At another spot, Mr. Pashley writes : — " A very 
hospitable and even intelligent old man received us 
most kindly : in a short time his wife and servant 
produced an excellent supper, and his wine was the 
best I had tasted in the island. On my praising it 
and inquiring if it was abundant, he replied that he 
had not much of it, and therefore never drank it except 
when a stranger came to see him. In what country of 
Europe should we find either a peasant or a gentleman 
keeping his choicest wine untouched that he might share 
it with the wandering stranger ? 

" On another occasion I had heard the words of a 
Cretan song, which my kind and hospitable reception 
in this village calls to my mind : 

" ' A thousand welcomes strangers greet, 
"Whene'er they here arrive : 
And unto them, as to onr own, 
Kindness to show we strive.' 

" Certainly it is far more satisfactory to any traveller 
to meet with such individual hospitality as this, than it 



CRETE. 



275 



would be to nave a lodging and dinner provided by the 
city ; as used to be done in ancient Crete." 

« Manias conducted us to the bouse of a relation of 
bis, the greater part of whose family bad retired to rest 
before we arrived. Within the single apartment, on the 
ground-floor, of which, as is generally the case in all the 
villages of Crete, the house consists, we find a sort of 




peasant's cottage. 



upper story, or rather a wooden floor, extending along 
about one-third of the apartment, at a height of nine or 
ten feet from the ground. This apology for a 1 first-floor,' 
is reached by a ladder, and is ordinarily used as the 
sleeping-place of the family. We threw the cottagers 
into great confusion by arriving after they had retired 
to rest. They insisted on giving up to us the ' first-floor' 



276 



CRETE, 



in question * so we ascended by the ladder, and were 
fortunate enough to rest extremely well." 

There are some remarkable natural grottoes in 
Crete. Of one. Mr. Pashley observes. " It is a beautiful 
grotto, to the entrance of which we are brought by a 
descent of about a hundred and forty steps ; many of them 
cut out of the steep rocks on the southern side of the glen. 




GROTTO. 



Its height varies from ten to fifty or sixty feet ; it is 
nearly five hundred feet long : it penetrates into the 
mountain in a southerly direction ; and its sides consist 
of varied and beautiful stalactites. Some of them form 
as it were columnar supports for the roof of the cavern ; 
many are quite transparent, and others are brilliantly 
white. 



MITYLENE. 



277 



" Pococke says that this grotto exceeds all he ever 
saw, in the beauty and slenderness of the pillars. 

" The Fair Havens was a port on the south coast of 
Crete, and the city of Lasea was near it. Phcenice was 
on the south-west coast. Salmone was a port on the 
north-east coast. Cape Salemone evidently retains the 
name of the ancient city, but of all these places little 
intelligence can now be gained." — Abridged from M.u. 
Pashley's Travels in Crete, in 1834. 




MITYLENE — CHIOS— SAMOS—TROGYLLlTJM — MILETUS. 
SCRIPTURE NOTICE. 

" And we sailed (from Mitylene), and came the next 
day over against Chios ; and the next day we arrived at 
Samos, and tarried at Trogyllium ; and the next day we 
came to Miletus. . . . And from Miletus he sent to 



278 



MITYLENE. 



Ephesus, and called the elders of the Church." — Acts 
xx. 15, 17. 



Mitylene was a city of the island of Lesbos, which 
lay not far from the coast of Asia Minor. The whole 
island is now called Mitylene. and the modern capital 1 
is built upon the site of the ancient cit} 7 of that name, 
which was famous for its learned men and elegant 
buildings. The island is very beautiful and fruitful. 
It is famed for its wine. 

" The vessel anchored for a short time in the harbour of 
the town, My tilia — perhaps the very harbour where Paul's 
vessel anchored in its voyage." — Mission to the J exes. 

" The island Chios, now Scio, is about fifty miles from 
Mitylene. The principal mountain presents to view 
a long, lofty range of bare rock, reflecting the sun ; but 
the recesses at its feet are diligently cultivated, and 
reward the husbandman by their rich produce. The 
slopes are clothed with vines. The groves of lemon, 
orange, and citron-trees, regularly planted, at once per- 
fume the air with the odour of their blossoms, and delight 
the eye with their golden fruit. Myrtles and jasmines 
are interspersed, with olive and palm trees, and cypresses. 
Amid these the tall minarets rise, and white houses 
glitter, dazzling the beholder . . . The beautiful Greek 
girls are the most striking ornaments of Scio. Many of 
these were sitting at the doors and windows, twisting 
cotton or silk, or employed in spinning and needlework. 
They wear short petticoats reaching only to the knees, 
with white silk or cotton hose. Their head-dress, which 
is peculiar to the island, is a kind of turban, the linen so 
white and thin, it seemed snow. Their slippers are 
chiefly yellow, with a knot of red fringe at the heel. 
Their garments were of silk of various colours . . . 

u The island is noted for pomegranates of a peculiar- 
species, the kernels of which are free from stones. It is 
usual to bring them to table in a plate, sprinkled with 
1 Xow called Castro. 



CHIOS. 



279 



rose-water ... The wines of Scio were anciently much 
esteemed ... we were treated with a variety of choice 
specimens, and we found the flavour truly admirable. 
The Lentiscus, or mastic-tree is much cultivated in Scio. 
This employs, we were told, twenty-one villages, which 
are required to provide as many thousand okes 1 of gum 
annually, for the use of the seraglio at Constantinople. 
They procure it by boring the trunks with a small, sharp 
iron, in the summer months. In October their harvest 
is conveyed, with music, into the town of Scio, and 
lodged in the castle. The officers who attend while it is 
weighed have each a certain portion for their perquisite. 
The remainder is delivered to the farmer or planter, to 
be disposed of for his own advantage. The Greeks of 
these villages have a separate governor, and enjoy many 
privileges. In particular, they are allowed to wear 
a turban of white linen, and their churches have each a 
bell to call them to prayers, an indulgence of which they 
speak with great glee. The Asiatic ladies are exces- 
sively fond of this gum, which they chew greedily, 
believing it good for the breath . . . Having ordered 
mules, we rode to the place where the trees grow which 
produce the gum-mastic. We gradually ascended the 
mountains, having a view of a rich valley, with its 
villages down to the sea. From the top of the mountain 
we had the most magnificent prospect imaginable. On 
the other side we found the mastic-trees. There are 
many of them in a cluster, of a dark green colour, and 
each tree of a rather short bushy appearance. I walked 
under, and gathered some of the gum, which falls off in 
transparent drops. In August they prick the tree, and 
the gum oozes out." 

" At some distance from the city, on the coast, are 
some curious remains, which appear to have been an open 
temple of Cybele, formed on the top of a rock ... In the 
centre is the image of the goddess, the head and an arm 

i An oke is a Turkish weight of about two pounds three quarters 
avoirdupois. 



280 



TROGYLLIUM — MILETUS. 



wanting. She is represented, as usual, sitting. The 
chair has a lion carved on each side, and on the back . . . 
The whole is hewn out of the mountain, is rude, indis- 
tinct, and probably of the most remote antiquity. From 
the slope higher up is a fine view of the rich vale of Scio, 
and of the channel, with its shining islands, beyond 
which are the mountains on the mainland of Asia." — 
Chandler's Travels in Asia Minor; Madox's Travels. 

" The promontory, once called Trogyllium, runs out 
toward the north end of (the Isle of) Samos, which was in 
view, and meeting a promontory of the island, named 
Posidium, makes a strait near a mile wide. The city of 
Samos was toward the south, five miles from Trogyllium. 
Before Trogyllium was an islet of the same name . . . 




MILETUS. 



"Miletus, an ancient sea-port town of Ionia, in Asia 
Minor, is a very mean place, but still called Palat, or 



MILETUS. 



281 



the Palaces. The principal relic of its former magnifi- 
cence is a ruined theatre, which is visible afar off, and 
was a most capacious edifice . . . The external face of this 
vast fabric is marble . . . the seats ranged as usual, on the 
slope of a hill, and a few of them remain . . . The vaults, 
which supported the extremities of the semicircle, are 
constructed with such solidity as not easily to be demo- 
lished . . . The moment we crept in, innumerable bats 
began flitting about us. The stench was hardly tolerable. 
After we had gone a considerable way in, we found the 
passage choked with dry filth, and returned. On the 
side of the theatre next to the river is an inscription, in 
mean characters, rudely cut, in which ' the city Miletus ' is 
mentioned seven times. 

" The whole site of the town, to a great extent, is 
spread with rubbish, and overrun with thickets. The 
vestiges of the heathen city are pieces of wall, broken 
arches, and a few scattered pedestals, inscriptions, &c. 
There are some fragments of Christian churches, and a 
number of forsaken mosques. 

" Miletus was once exceedingly powerful and illus- 
trious, holding commerce with remote regions. It had 
four ports, and before it was a cluster of small islands. 
It has been styled the metropolis and head of Ionia ; the 
bulwark of Asia, &c. ; and not fewer than seventy-five 
cities descended from this i fertile mother. 5 It afterwards 
fell so low as to furnish the proverb, e The Milesians 
were once great?" — See Chandler's Asia Minor, 



282 



PATHOS. 




PATMOS. 
SCRIPTURE NOTICE. 

" I John. . . was in the isle that is called Patmos, for 
the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ." 
—Rev. i. 9. 



" "We arrived at Patmos just as the sun threw a glory 
round the sacred island. It is very rocky, and perhaps 
the most barren spot in the Archipelago, being totally 
destitute of wood and herbage. Tradition points out St. 
John's hermitage, rock, and spring. 

" The town is on an eminence, at a short distance 
from the point of landing, and contains a small popula- 
tion, in extreme poverty. In the middle is the convent 
of St. John, a kind of fortress." — See Eae Wilson's 
Travels. 



iEGEAN SEA. 



283 



Tlie inhabitants have a few trading vessels, and their 
chief subsistence is game and clotted cream. Rabbits, 
pigeons, partridges, and quails, are numerous. 



iEGEAN SEA. 

u It is not possible for any power of language ade- 
quately to describe the appearance presented, at the 
rising or setting of the sun, in the iEgean Sea ; nor pen 
nor pencil can pourtray the scenery. Let the reader 
picture to his conception an evening sun, behind the 
towering cliffs of Patmos, gilding the battlements of the 
monastery of the Apocalypse with its parting rays ; the 
consecrated island, surrounded by inexpressible bright- 
ness, seeming to float upon an abyss of fire, (Rev. xv. 2,) 
while the moon, in milder splendour, is rising full over 
the opposite expanse. Such a scene we actually wit- 
nessed, with feelings naturally excited by all the circum- 
stances of local solemnity ; for such, indeed, might have 
been the face of nature, when the inspiration of an 
apostle, kindling in its contemplation, uttered the 
alleluias of that mighty voice, telling of salvation, and 
glory, and honour, and power." — Clarke's Travels. 



COOS RIIODES, ETC. CNIDUS. 




RHODES. 



COOS— RHODES, etc.—CXIDUS. 
SCRIPTURE NOTICES. 

u We came with a straight course unto Coos, and the 
day following unto Rhodes, and from thence unto Patara : 
and finding a ship sailing over unto Phenicia, we went 
aboard, and set forth." — Acts xxi. 1, 2, 

" And when we had sailed slowly many days, and scarce 
were come over against Cnidus, the wind not suffering us, we 
sailed under Crete, over against Salmone." — Acts xxvii. 7. 



" We now saw before us Stanchio, the ancient Coos, 
and felt pleasure in gazing upon it, because St. Paul had 
once done the same. " On reaching the harbour, the 
vessel made a short stay, giving us opportunity to get a 
sight of its chief town, which is beautifully situated in 
the midst of gardens. The buildings are all of white 



COOS RHODES, ETC. CNIDUS. 



285 



\ stone, and the hills form a green acclivity behind. The 
physician Hippocrates gave this island its renown in 
ancient times." — Mission to the Jews. 

" During all the next day and night we were sailing 
I over the ' Sea of Pamphylia,' in the track of the Apostle, 
j We passed Patara, or Patras, about noon, but, on account 
of a slight mist, were unable to discern more than the 
mere outline of its rocky elevations. Further inland, 
j but of course invisible to us, lay Lycia and Myra . . . 

" We cast anchor in the harbour of Rhodes. We 
\ naturally made inquiries as to the precise spot in which 
stood the celebrated Colossus — one of the ' seven wonders 
of the world ;' but were unable to get any certain in- 
formation. Some recent travellers have supposed that 
the remains of buttresses yet standing at the entrance of 
the ancient harbour, are part of the foundations on which 
that wonderful statue stood. The space between them is 
about twenty-seven yards. The statue was of brass, and 
said to have been eighty yards in height, and to have 
spanned the mouth of the old harbour. It was erected 
by the Rhodians to celebrate their successful resistance 
of the tenth siege of Demetrius Poliorcetes, the son of 
Antigonus, emperor of Syria. Though set up in tri- 
umph, it was, in little more than half a century, thrown 
down by an earthquake. In the year 653 its fragments 
were transported from their site, on the backs of nine 
hundred camels. 

"The first vessel seen in Greece arrived at Rhodes 
from Egypt. 

"In the centre of the island is the Mount whose 
forests of pine supplied the Rhodian navy. Their laws 
were so good, that many commercial nations referred to 
the Rhodians the decision of their disputes in maritime 
matters. The climate is healthy, the soil fertile, and the 
orange and lemon trees are truly luxuriant. The country 
affords everything necessary for the inhabitants, and, in 
particular, an abundance of gums. The wines here were 
highly admired of old. There are to be seen the remains 



286 



COOS RHODES, ETC. CNIDUS. 



of an old tree, the branches of which were afc one time so 
extensive as to admit of fifty shops under it. 

" Rhodes and its harbour form a striking and interest- 
ing picture. The main town itself runs down to the 
shore connected with the harbour, and is flanked by 
green hills and verdant gardens . . . About noon next day 
we sailed out of harbour, and made way but slowly, on 
account of a contrary wind, bearing towards Coos, which 
I hoped to glance at, and Patmos and Miletus also; but 
the night closed upon us too soon. In the morning I 
found we were sailing between Samos and Scio . . . Scio 
presents a beautiful aspect of fertility, in the plains, 
which reach down to the very edge of the sea. The pic- 
torial effects of these islands of the Archipelago, or JEgean 
Sea, are very charming, as they gradually come (in 
sight) . . . But the entrance into the Gulf of Smyrna is 
one of the finest things in the world." — Fisk's Pastors 
Memorial, and Rae Wilson's Travels. 

" After leaving the harbour of Rhodes, we found our- 
selves sailing close to the shore of Caria ; the water 
apparently deep to the very edge, with steep rocks and 
hills lining the shore. Often it seemed as if we were 
sailing close under the base of some of our own Highland 
mountains, while the waves gently weltered round the 
base of the rocks. At a turn of the coast Cnidus was 
pointed out to us. A creek, running up a considerable 
way into the land, forms a complete harbour ; but 
a ruined tower was all that we could discern of the 
ancient town." — Mission to the Jews. 

Cnidus was a town on a promontory of Caria, in Asia 
Minor, opposite Crete, now called Cape Crio. There 
was a famous white marble statue of Venus in the city, 
whose inhabitants worshipped that goddess. Extensive 
ruins still remain of the ancient city. 



CYPRUS — SALAMIS— PAPHOS. 




CYPRUS. 

CYPEUS-SALAMIS-PAPHOS. 
SCRIPTURE NOTICES. 

"... Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son 
of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, 
having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it 
at the apostles' feet." — Acts iv. 36, 37. 

" Now they, which were scattered abroad upon the 
persecution that arose about Stephen, travelled as far as 
Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word . . . 
and some of them were men of Cyprus."— A cts xi. 19,20. 

" (Barnabas, and Saul) sailed to Cyprus. And when 
they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in 
the synagogues of the Jews . . . and when they had gone 
through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain 



288 



CYPRUS — SALAMIS PAPHOS. 



sorcerer, a false prophet." — Acts xiii. 4, 5. 6. (Read 
the history of this man in the following verses.) 

" Mnason, of Cyprus, an old disciple, with whom we 
should lodge." — Acts xxi. 16. 

" We sailed under Cyprus, because the winds were 
contrary." — ilcfexxvii. 4. 

[Acts xv. 39 ; xxi. 3.] 

" At a former period, Cyprus must have been remark- 
ably productive and well peopled. Mr. Thompson had 
travelled through the interior of the island, and in his 
journey visited not fewer than sixty villages, which 
had remains of ancient churches, now ruined and 
desolate ; and everywhere he found wide plains left 
uncultivated, which might yield abundant harvests. It 
is an island which no Christian can gaze upon without 
remembering the days of the apostles, for this was the 
native country of Barnabas, who sold his estates and 
brought the money to Jerusalem, for the use of the 
infant Church \ and who, afterwards, in company with 
Paul, traversed its whole extent from Salamis to Paphos, 
preaching the ' unsearchable riches of Christ.' Here, too, 
Sergius Paulus had his residence, and Elymas the 
sorcerer ; Mnason, too, £ the old disciple,' spent his youth 
amidst its hills and plains. But there is no Barnabas or 
Mnason in Cyprus now ; for no Jew dare plant his foot 
upon its shores, because of the Greeks, who have per- 
secuted without remorse every wanderer of that nation 
that has visited or been cast upon their coast, ever since 
the reign of Trajan." — Mission to the Jews, p. 324. 

Salamis was once the most important city of Cyprus, 
and contained a grand temple of Jupiter. It was twice 
destroyed, first by the Jews, and afterwards by the 
Saracens. A Christian bishop once resided at Salamis. 
The spot where this city stood has been washed away by 
the sea. 

" The ancient city of Paphos is beautifully situated 
close upon the sea, and though totally in ruins, formed 



CYPRUS SALAMIS — PAPHOS. 



289 



the residence of eight or ten families. From three large 
arches (said to be the remains of a temple of Venus) 
upon a hillock, we obtained a fine view of this once 
celebrated place. 

" On entering Paphos, we found ourselves in a long 
street, on one side of which is a range of small arches, 
probably the remains of shops and bazaars, and at the 
end stands a large church or cathedral, with many pieces 
of marble columns dispersed about it. This has been 
converted into a mosque. The ruins of many churches 
built at a very early period lie around . . . several of 
them were used as places of shelter for cattle ; others for 
granaries and baths. The land around produces corn 
and tobacco ; also date and orange trees. There is a 
large mound of ruins nearer the sea, evidently the remains 
of some vast structure, and on the edge of the sea is a 
castle." — See Madox's Travels. 

" A high hill near the town produced beautiful rock 
crystal, which, from its peculiar brilliancy, has received 
the name of the Paphos diamond. Among the coins 
which have been discovered here, is one which bears a 
representation of the temple of the Goddess of Love 
and Beauty, and another has a head of the goddess, &c. 
Paphos, however, has been more truly honoured by St. 
Paul's having preached there the gospel of the grace of 
God, than by all that poets have sung of the Paphian 
Queen." — Rae Wilson. 

" Among the trades carried on in Cyprus is a particular 
process in printing cotton cloths, which instead of losing 
colour by being washed, become more beautiful. The 
dye is composed of the root of the boid, and ox's blood, 
and when well imprinted, this colour never fades. The 
vines are said to grow to a larger size than in any other 
country, and we find that the stairs of the temple of Diana 
atEphesus were made of a single stem. The vintage begins 
in August, and continues during six weeks, which are 
marked as a period of great joy. The wine produced is 
luscious and sweet. Several coins, idols, and other relics, 

u 



290 



CYPRUS — SAL AMIS — PAPHOS. 



have been found in different parts of the island, and also 
mines of gold, 

" The swarms of locusts are a great scourge to Cyprus. 

" This island furnishes a spacious and most convenient 
roadstead for vessels of all descriptions." — See Rae 
Wilson's Travels. 

Mr. Madox describes the scenery in several parts of 
Cyprus as most wild and beautiful ; mountains covered 
with firs, paths running among myrtle and evergreens, 
fine streams of water, and valleys rich in pine, olive, 
and oleander trees. 



CHAPTER IX. 



EGYPT AND ETHIOPIA. 

Egypt.— Its past History and present State. 
Sihor. — Riyer Nile.— Scenery up the River. 

Alexandria.— Mareotic Lake — Church of Athanasius — Landing at 
Alexandria —The City— Pompey's Pillar— Cleopatra's Needles — Alex- 
andrian Library — Date-Palms — Mosquitoes — Slave-market. 

Rosetta — The Bazaar. 

Voyage hy Canal to Cairo. 

Cairo. — Descriptions of the City— Boulac. 

Island or Rhoda. 

Zoan, or Tanis. 

Land oe Goshen, or Rameses. 

On, Aven, or Bethshemesh. 

Noph, Moph, or Memphis, 

The Pyramids. 

Mummy-pits oe Saccara. 

Lake M^eris. 

Ammon No, or No, (Thebes.) 
Tombs of the Kings. 
Syene, 

Island oe Phil^:. 
Ethiopian Temples. 




RIVER NILE, USUAL APPEARANCE. 



EGYPT, MIZRAIM, OR "LAND OE HAM. 

ITS PAST HISTORY JCSB PRESENT STATE. 
SCRIPTURE NOTICES. 

Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there ; 
for the famine was grievous in the land (of Canaan.)" — 
Gen. xii. 10. 

" And they brought Joseph into Egypt." — Gen. 
xxxvii. 28. (Read whole chapter.) 

" And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to 
buy corn." — Gen. xli. 57. 

" And Joseph said unto his brethren . . . Say unto 
(my father), thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made 
me lord of all Egypt : come down unto me, tarry not." 
—Gen. xlv. 3, 9. 

" (Jacob) came into Egypt, and all his seed with him." 
— Gen. xlvi. 6. 



EGYPT. 



293 



" The Lord did bring the children of Israel out of the 
land of Egypt." — Exod. xii. 51. 

u The burden of Egypt. Behold, the Lord rideth 
upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt ; and the 
idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the 
heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it . . . And 
the Lord shall smite Egypt ; he shall smite and heal it." 
- — Isaiah xix. 1, 22, (Read whole chapter.) 

u The daughter of Egypt shall be confounded . . — 
Jer. xlvL 24. (Read whole chapter.) 

" Son of man, set thy face against Pharaoh king of 
Egypt, and prophesy against him and against all Egypt 
. . . I will make the land of Egypt desolate . . . they 
shall be there a base kingdom ... It shall be the basest 
of the kingdoms."' — Ezek. xxix. 2, 12, 14, 15. (Read 
whole chapter.) 

" And the sword shall come upon Egypt . . . There 
shall be no more a prince of the land of Egypt ... I 
will set fire in Egypt ... I will execute judgments in 
Egypt." — Ezek. xxx. 4, 13, 16, 19. (Read whole chapter.) 

" Of all the places foreign to Judaea, Egypt holds the 
most conspicuous place in the volume of inspiration, 
Abraham, the patriarch of the faithful, and his comely 
and beloved spouse, flee to it, in order to escape the 
famine which raged in the land of Canaan. Joseph, in 
the wonderful providence of God, the precursor and 
saviour of his brethren and parent, enters it as a slave, 
and rises to the dignity of a prince, presiding over the 
councils of its regal courts, and halls of judgment, and 
treasuries of food and money. The family of Jacob, 
chosen for the conservation of true religion during the 
awful period of the general apostasy of the world from 
God, sojourns in it for upwards of two centuries, wdth 
an increase of its numbers so wonderful as to render it 
formidable to a tyrannical sovereign, who in the de- 
visings of his own wickedness was induced to attempt 
its reduction, or extirpation, by the hand of violence 



294 



EGYPT. 



and oppression. Moses, the c goodly child/ and destined 
by God to be the deliverer of his kindred from cruel 
bondage, is found floating on its river in his bulrush 
cradle, by the daughter of Pharaoh, and reared and in- 
structed by her 'in all the wisdom of Egypt.' The Lord 
brings out his people by a strong hand, and an out- 
stretched arm, from the house of bondage, amidst the 
terrors of his vengeance on the haughty ruler. "When 
Jehovah interdicted the Jews from holding intercourse 
with the ungodly Gentiles, Egypt had a partial ex- 
emption made in its favour . . . ' Thou shalt not abhor an 
Egyptian, because thou wast a stranger in his land.' 

" Solomon, the most powerful prince of Israel, is 
married to the daughter of an Egyptian sovereign. 
Shishak, the first king of Egypt who is mentioned in 
Scripture by his personal name, carries his arms into 
Judrea, takes Jerusalem, and carries off c the treasures 
of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king's 
house,' in the reign of Rehoboam. £ Zerah, the Ethio- 
pian,' who, with his army, ' a thousand thousand and 
three hundred chariots,' was smitten by the Lord before 
Asa and before Judah, is recognised in Osorthon, or 
Osorkon I. The name of c Tirhakah, King of Ethiopia,' 
mentioned in the second Book of Kings, and by Isaiah, 
is discovered on one of the Egyptian temples in the form 
of Tehrdk. ' Necho, king of Egypt, who by his archers 
overthrew Josiah in the valley of Megiddo, and put 
Jehoahaz in bonds at Riblah,' is not overlooked by pro- 
fane historians. Several of the latter Pharaohs became 
the allies and confederates of the kings of Israel and 
Judah, as the last-mentioned monarch, who set Jehoia- 
kim on the throne. Many Hebrews, in the spirit of 
unbelief and cowardice, flee to Egypt through fear of 
Xebuchadnezzar, and dwell at Migdol, and at Tahpanes, 
and at Noph, and in the country of Pathros, where they 
were visited by the Divine indignation, and where those 
who survived of their number saw the Lord, through 
the instrumentality of the king of Babylon, ' kindle a 



EGYPT. 



295 



fire in the houses of the gods, and burn them/ — i break 
the images of Bethshemesh (Heliopolis),' and confound 
their purpose to 'burn incense to the queen of heaven.' 
The child Jesus himself is conducted to Egypt by Joseph 
and Mary, and finds a refuge there from the murderous 
hate of Herod, who sought to destroy him. 

" Egypt is frequently the theme of prophetical dis- 
course; and to the present day its political and natural 
changes, and lengthened depression and degradation, 
have most strictly accorded with the declarations of the 
inspired seers. The whole monumental wonders and 
antiquities of the land seem to have been preserved as 
if for the express purpose of evincing the authenticity, 
and illustrating the narratives, of the Bible ; every 
single allusion of which, either to the circumstances of 
the country or of the people, is seen to have the mi- 
nutest consistency with truth, — so strikingly so, indeed, 
as to have attracted the attention of every Egyptian 
antiquary. Egypt will share in the blessings which are 
yet in store for all the nations of the earth : 6 He that 
has smitten will heal it ; the Lord of Hosts' shall bless 
it, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria, the 
work of my hands, arid Israel mine inheritance.'" — 
Wilson's Lands of the Bible. 

" With calm delight we were now able to look round 
upon the land of Egypt, while many scenes of its event- 
ful history rose up before us. It was here that Jacob 
and Joseph sojourned with their families for 400 years. 
This was the land of Moses and his wondrous deeds. 
And, more interesting still, this was the land that gave 
refuge to the ' holy child Jesus,' when compelled to flee 
from the land of Judah. It was the cradle of Israel, 
and the cradle of Israel's Saviour, as it is written, — 
6 Out of Egypt have I called my Son.' 

" The villages are wretched. The people seem almost 
naked, and excessively dirty ; most of them, too, are 
old people; very rarely did we meet any healthy young 
men. The reason is, that all such are obliged to enter 



296 



EGYPT. 



the army ; and Egyptian villages and lands are left to 
the care of women and old men. It seems still the 
case that taskmasters rule over Egypt, — it is a house of 
bondage at this day. God remembers how Egypt kept his 
chosen Israel 400 years in slavery, and therefore has 
poured out upon it the fulfilment of that humiliating 
prophecy, ' It shall be the basest of kingdoms.' 

" ' Basest of kingdoms' is everywhere seen fulfilled, in 
the fact that native Egyptians have none of the power 
or wealth of the land. Every appearance of power or 
greatness in it belongs to its foreign governor and his 
officers — not to natives. The pasha is the gulf in which 
the produce of Egypt is swallowed up." — 2Iission to the 
Jews. 

Speaking of the descendants of the ancient Egyptians, 
now called the Copts, Niebuhr observes : — 

" If an ancient origin, and illustrious ancestors could 
confer merit, the Copts would be a highly estimable 
people. They are descended from the ancient Egyptians ; 
and the Turks, upon this account, call them, in derision, 
the posterity of Pharaoh. But their uncouth figure, 
their stupidity, ignorance, and wretchedness, do little 
credit to the sovereigns of ancient Egypt. They have 
lived for 2000 years under the dominion of different 
foreign conquerors, and have experienced many vicissi- 
tudes of fortune. They have lost their manners, their 
language, and almost their existence. They are reduced 
to a small number in comparison of the Arabs, who 
have poured like a flood over this country. Of the dimi- 
nution of the numbers of the Copts some idea may be 
formed from the reduction of the number of their 
bishops. They were seventy in number at the period of 
the Arabian Conquest : they are now only twelve, and 
most of these settled in Upper Egypt, to which the 
ancient inhabitants seem to have retired." — Xiebuhe's 
Arabia. 

" There is no freehold property in Egypt ; all the land 
being let out by the pasha, who afterwards forces the 



EGYPT. 



297 



peasants to sell their property to him only, and at his 
price. Soldiers are quartered in all the principal vil- 
lages, to enforce a due observance of this law. All the 
boats are likewise monopolized by him, and at his price. 
Gun boats are stationed at the narrow passes of the 
river, to prevent the passage of any barks unless laden 
for the pasha. The Arabs, Copts, &c, who become rich 
in spite of this oppressive system, are allowed but little 
enjoyment of their wealth ; if any one of them has built 
a fine house, it often happens that he is desired to turn 
out, and give it up to some Greek, Turk, or perhaps to 
an European consul, and should he not immediately 
obey, his head is the forfeit." — Irby and Mangles. 
p. 161. 

" Nebuchadnezzar and Cambyses, Alexander and the 
Ptolemies, the Roman and the Saracen, the Memlook 
and the Turk, have followed each other in the moving 
pageant of history ; and now, the pasha against the 
sultan, Turk against Turk, alien against alien, are play- 
ing the game for Egyptian sovereignty. But still ' no 
prince of the land of Egypt' rises to fill the throne; still 
( it is a base kingdom/ — ' the basest of kingdoms — 
its sceptre has departed ; and ' there shall be no more 
a prince of the land of Egypt,' saith the prophet of the 
Lord. 

" Here is prophecy, the fulfilment of which, ' he who 
runs may read.' " — Nozrani in Egypt. 

" There are no barns in Egypt : the peasant being 
sure of fair weather at harvest-home, the corn is imme- 
diately thrashed, and the grain is piled up in immense 
hills, encircled by a wall. The birds are freely allowed 
their share, though, during the time it is ripening, their 
claims are disputed by children, who are placed on ele- 
vated mud-hillocks, scattered in all directions through- 
out the plains ; here they bawl, and fling stones by means 
of a sling, to deter the feathered robbers from their de- 
predations." — Irby and Mangles. 



298 



SIHOR— RIYEE N I L E. 

SCENERY UP THE EJYER. 
SCRIPTURE NOTICES. 

" Pharaoh dreamed, and behold, he stood by the 
river." — Gen. xli. 1. (Read to ver. 4.) 

" (Jochebed) took for (Moses) an ark of bulrushes, 
and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the 
child therein ; and she laid it in the nags by the river's 
brink . . . and the daughter of Pharaoh came down to 
wash herself at the river ; and her maidens walked along 
by the river's side ; and when she saw the ark among 
the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it." — Exod. ii. 
3, 5. 

" And (Moses) lifted up the rod, and smote the waters 
that were in the river . . . and all the waters that were 
in the river were turned to blood, and the fish that was 
in the river died." — Exod. vii. 20, 21. 

" Sihor, which is before Egypt." — Joshua xiii. 3. j 
(1 Cliron. xiii. 5 ; Isa. xxiii. 3.) 

" And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the 
river shall be wasted and dried up. And they shall 
turn the rivers far away, and the brooks of defence shall 
be emptied and dried up j the reeds and flags shall wither. 
The paper-reeds by the brooks . . . shall wither . . . the 
fishers also shall mourn." — Isa. xix. 5 — 8. 

" What hast thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink 
the waters of Sihor 1 " — Jer. ii. 1 8. 

" Thus said the Lord God, Behold I am against thee, 
Pharaoh, King of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in 
the midst of his rivers, which hath said, My river is 
my own, and I have made it for myself." — Ezek. xxix. 
3 ; (Isa. xxvii. 1.) 

" It shall rise up wholly as a flood, and it shall be cast 
out and drowned, as by the flood of Egypt." — Amos 
viii. 8. (ix. 5.) 



SIHOR— RIVER NILE. 



299 



" The Nile ! now then, for the first time I felt that I 
was in the land of Egypt ; and oh, what a crowd of glo- 
rious associations rushed across my mind as I gazed 
upon the dark waves of that noble river rolling calmly 
onwards to the sea, unchanged and unchanging amidst 
the strange vicissitudes that had befallen the valley it 
fertilizes 1 Thus had it flowed in the days when the 
Pharaohs ruled gloriously amidst the palaces of Thebes 
and Memphis, and when the realm of Egypt was the 
greatest among the nations of the earth; and even thus, 
when she became successively the prey of the Ethiopian, 
the Persian, the Macedonian, the Roman, the Saracen, 
and the Turkish conqueror ! And upon those discoloured 
waters had the eyes of Thothmes, and Sesostris, and 
Cainbyses, and Alexander, and Cleopatra, and Julius 
Caesar, and Omar, and Saladin, and Selim, rested com- 
placently, as upon the richest jewel of their diadems ! 
and still it flowed on, calm and undisturbed, while 
degeneration slowly crept along its shores, and one by 
one, its great lights had become extinguished, and at last 
' darkness had overshadowed the land,' and the prophecy 
of Ezekiel had been fulfilled to the very letter ; and from 
the first it had become the last among nations, because 
of the wickedness of its rulers. tf It shall be the basest 
of kingdoms, neither shall it exalt itself any more among 
the nations, for I will diminish them, that they shall no 
more rule over the nations. Her power shall come 
down — I will sell the land into the hand of the 
wicked, I will make the land waste, and all that is 
therein, by the hand of strangers. I the Lord have 
spoken it.' 

" While these shadows of the past were flitting 
across my mind, my eyes wandered over the flat and 
monotonous banks, diversified only by occasional groves 
of the graceful date-palm, a Sheikh's tomb here and 
| there, and a few miserable mud villages. But strings 
of loaded camels, herds of buffaloes, and troops of half- 
. naked fellahs, raising water to irrigate their fields in 



300 



SIHOR — RIVER NILE. 



the same primitive manner that was in use among the 
patriarchs, gave an eastern stamp to the landscape." 

Describing another portion of the Nile towards Thebes, 
the same writer remarks : " A low narrow strip of culti- 
vated land borders the river, like a green ribbon, on 
either side : occasionally a mud village, a Sheikh's tomb, 
a colony of pigeon-houses, a grove of palm-trees, (the 
doum or Theban palm has here replaced the graceful 
date-palms of Lower Egypt,) a saJdciah, or a shadoof, 
(both of them contrivances for raising the water from 
the river) diversifies the scene. And beyond, nought is 
to be seen but the barren sands of the Libyan desert, 
stretching far auay to the west, and those of the desert 
of Suez, traversed by a ridge of hills, bounding the 
prospect to the east." 

On reaching Xubia, " the scenery on each side of the 
Nile began to assume a very picturesque appearance — 
mountainous and almost Alpine in its character to the 
east ; on the opposite bank, the eternal desert, (with its 
golden sands,) and the river's edge on either side fringed 
with the castor-oil plant, 1 and the prickly mimosa upon 
which the patient camel browses with delight. Long 
plantations of date and doum-palms tower above, the 
fruit of which forms all the riches, and the chief sub- 
stance of the poor Nubians, among whom bread is an 
unknown luxury. Every now and then we stopped at 
some wretched village for milk, eggs, and poultry." 

Shortly after, this author continues, " we have now 
followed the course of the Nile for a thousand miles 
from Alexandria to this place, and not one tributary 
stream has fallen into the great river during the 
whole of that distance ; its waters rolling onward 
through the long valley they fertilize, have remained 
pure from all contact with meaner streams : like 
the great Creator, at whose command its waters sprang ; 
forth from their yet undiscovered sources, the Nile is 
alone in its bounty ; inexhaustible in its beneficence, it 
1 Jonah's Gourd. See " Scripture N atural History." 



SIHOR RIVER NILE. 



301 



gives all, dispensing riches, prosperity, life, whithersoever 
j it goes, and receives nothing in return." — Temples, and 
j Tombs of Egypt, by Mrs. Eomer. 

" The banks of the river between Ibrim and Ebsamboul 
are beautifully strewed with the yellow and purple 
acacia, forming thick hedges, which have a very pleasing 
effect : a species of tamarisk is also common here." 




NILE OVERl'LOTVING ITS BANKS. 



" Egypt at present presents a very different appearance 
to what it did when we went upward ; the Nile having 
overflowed, all the villages are insulated, and are in- 
variably surrounded with date-palm-trees, which partly 
conceal the mud huts, and give a pleasing and lively 
' appearance to the face of the country. The river also, 
i in some places, appears of prodigious width, whole plains 
| being overflowed for many miles. We were peculiarly 



302 



SIHOB — RIVER XILE. 



fortunate, having seen Egypt throughout, with the Nile 
at its lowest ebb, and also at its greatest elevation. 
It is a curious fact, that no water-plants or iveeds grow 
on the hanks of the Xile ; a sedgy margin is never to be 
met with in this country. The lotus, affecting fens and 
marshy places, could only nourish during the most pro- 
pitious part of the year, when the overflowing of the 
Nile promoted its growth : hence it was so favourite a 
plant with the ancients ; and it is generally coupled with 
all symbolic allusions to the river. This year the Nile 
has risen seventeen pics, or thirty-four feet ; this is 
called a good Nile. Last year it rose eighteen pics, 
which produced a very plentiful crop. The island of 
Rhoda now presents a complete carpet of verdure, with 
beautiful sycamore trees." — Irby and Maxgles. 

" The tall tufted palms rise in groves on either side 
the river, throwing their umbrella-shaped shadows upon 
brown flat-topped villages of sun dried mud, whose copper 
coloured inhabitants look depressed with the curse of 
unrequited toil, yielding to daily sweat less than enough 
of daily bread ; each cluster of huts rises a few feet 
above the level of the ordinary inundation, and its own 
accumulating refuse affords increasing security against 
the slimy flood. The depth and richness of the soil 
brought down by the water is wonderful : now that the 
level of the river is low, the muddy walls of alluvial 
deposit rise sometimes twenty feet above the stream. 
Innumerable birds come down to the waters : whole 
squadrons of cranes wheeling and flashing their white 
wings in the sun, — strings of camels, in relief against 
the brazen sky, are waving and swinging their solitary 
way to the desert — while Bedouin horsemen, wild sons 
of Ishmael, with tall spears erect, pause on the sandy 
hillocks to watch us gliding by. White crescent-rearing 
domes and slender minarets shine through the woods of 
date ; and tall blue-robed women, with pitchers on their 
shoulders, come down at sunset for the waters of the 
' sweet river.' To our left lies the Delta of Egypt, the 



SIHOR — EIVER NILE. 



303 



land of Goshen — ' the best of the land/ fertilized bj the 
many branching streams through which the Abyssinian 
rains find their way from the clouds, to join once more 
the source from which they came — the wide expanse of 
the Mediterranean. 

"The view of the Kile, nearly a mile wide, rushing 
through its multitude of verdant islands and black 
granite rocks, in its passage from Nubia to Egypt, is 
perhaps the most striking throughout its whole course; 
the contrast between the fresh foaming flood, pouring 
through its dark green iron-bound channel, and the 
burning, yellow, barren, sandstone ranges, which still 
glare upon us from the height of either shore. In the 
middle of the river is the lovely island of Ulephantina, 
or the Isle of Flowers, about half a mile in length, and 
rich in ruins of ancient grandeur, shaded by groves of 
palm, in the midst of which dwell a Nubian population, 
in as unsophisticated a state as man can present. The 
men are a fine athletic, active race, black as ebony; full 
of life and good humour, with handsome European 
features and sparkling eyes. We should have admired 
the women more, had their dark skins been less redolent 
of rancid grease. We had an opportunity of seeing 
these simple people under various aspects, and the im- 
pression was altogether in their favour as to honesty, 
hospitality, and gentleness . . . The toil endured in irri- 
gation by all the dwellers on the Nile is excessively 
severe for six months annually, exposed as they are to a 
blinding and baking sun. 

" Of all the peculiarities and novelties of tropical 
travel, nothing approaches the impressive grandeur of 
the sky lighted up by the moon and stars. We talk in 
England of the silvery moon and golden stars ; but to 
see them we must emerge from our ocean fogs, and 
look through the dry and cloudless air of the Libyan 
desert. Nothing delighted me more in our daily pro- 
gress to the south, than to watch the gradual sinking 
of the polar star towards the northern horizon, till it 



304 



ALEXANDRIA. 



descended to the point which marked our entrance 
within the burning zone of Cancer. 5 ' — Temples and 
Tombs of Egypt. 



ALEXANDRIA. 

MA RE OTIC LAKE — CHURCH OF ATHANASIUS— LAXDLXG AT ALEXANDRIA — 
THE CITY— POMPEY's PILLAR— CLE OP ATRA's NEEDLES— ALEXANDRIAN 
LIBRARY— DATE-PALMS — MOSQUITOES— SLATE MARKET. 

SCRIPTURE NOTICES. 

" A certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, 
an eloquent man, and mighty in the Scriptures, came to 
Ephesus." — Acts xviii. 24. 

" There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria 
sailing into Italy; and he put us therein." — Acts xxvii. 
6; xxviii. 11. 



u This city, Alexandria, was the birth-place of Apollos, 
that pattern of burning zeal and Scriptural eloquence ; 
the city, too, of Athanasius, and the scene of the labours 
of the seventy translators of the Old Testament. Alex- 
ander the Great, Cleopatra, Caesar, and many other 
names, are associated with the name of the once ' illus- 
trious Alexandria." 

" With still deeper interest we now pondered over the 
future history of Egypt, as disclosed in the record of 
prophecy, and prayed that the time may be hastened 
c when Ethiopia shall stretch out her hands unto God 
'when the Lord shall be known to Egypt, and the 
Egyptians shall know the Lord 6 and the Lord shall 
smite Egypt, he shall smite and heal it,' saying, 'Blessed 
be Egypt my people !' 

" Before breakfast, some of us rambled out to Pompey's 
pillar. The Mareotic Lake lay east of it, but is now 
dried up, affording no moisture to water the vines that 
once regaled Cleopatra and her numerous court. The 



ALEXANDRIA. 



305 



ground around it swarmed with small lizards, and the 
surface is broken with innumerable holes made by the 
jerboa. Passing through the bazaar, one of the pasha's 
beys rode past us, fully armed, mounted on an Arab 
steed. An Egyptian, clothed in white cotton, ran before 
him at full speed, clearing the way with voice and 
arms. 1 

" Before dinner we had a pleasant ride to the gardens 
of the governor, about a mile from town. (They) are 
laid out with straight walks, after the Egyptian taste. 
The flowering oranges were beautiful and fragrant, and 
the vines luxuriant . . . Near the Coptic convent we 
examined with much interest the site and remaining 
traces of the church of the great Athanasius, who was 
bishop here a. d. 326, — God's witness for the truth 
against many kings and people. Some broken pillars 
and fragments of the foundation are all that remain. 
Not far from this is the ancient Jewish burying- ground; 
but the Jews are now forced to bury outside the walls." 
— -Mission to the Jeivs. 

" Landing at Alexandria is a most formidable affair. 
As soon as a steamer appears in sight, troops of camels 
and asses, with their noisy drivers, hasten down to the 
landing-place, and before the inexperienced stranger is 
aware of what is about to happen to him, he beholds his 
baggage carried off, and piled upon one of the kneeling 
camels by a score of half-naked, one-eyed fellahs, and 
finds himself seized in the arms of somebody, and lifted, 
whether he will or no, upon a donkey, to the manifest 
disappointment of a dozen clamorous expectants, who 
shout forth in English, in a variety of tones, ' Want a 
donkey, sir V — ' Very good donkey, sir ; better than a 
horse !' — 1 Go to Pompey's Pillar, sir V — ' Dat donkey 
go very bad : my donkey go faster than steam-boat !' 
and fast indeed they do go, and away the new-comer is 
hurried to the great square in Alexandria, where the two 
European hotels, frequented by travellers, are situated, 
i 1 Kings xviii. 46. See " Scripture Manners and Customs." 
X 



306 



ALEXANDRIA. 



before he has made up his mind at which of them he will 
put up. 

" The great square in which we were lodged, with its 
numerous Consular residences, and its spacious hotels, 
looks thoroughly European ; and the Frank quarter in 
which it stands is composed of mean-looking, wretched 
streets, where every second house bears the name and 
calling of some French, Italian, or Greek tradesman. 
But in going to Ponipey's Pillar we passed by the Arab 
quarter, occupied solely by the fellah population of 
Alexandria ; and there most certainly a novel sight met 
our eyes, and we were introduced to a personal acquaint- 
ance with the misery and debasement to which the 
wretched population of Egypt is reduced by the oppres- 
sions of an arbitrary government and a despotic ruler. 
Yet in the midst of a squalor and poverty unequalled, 
perhaps, in any part of the world, these poor fellahs, 
lodged in mud hovels, sometimes too low to admit of 
their standing upright in them, scantily fed with the 
worst and coarsest food, covered only with a blue cotton 
shirt, and their children completely naked, continue to 
preserve a semblance of cleanliness about their habita- 
tions which is not to be found in the villages of Ireland 
and Scotland. The streets are scrupulously swept, and 
not a vestige of refuse is to be discovered even in any 
remote corner ; nor does any disagreeable effluvium 
offend the sense of smelling as one walks through those 
narrow ways, bordered by houses such as we should 
consider scarcely good enough to shelter our pigs in 
England, and inhabited by a people notoriously unclean 
in their persons. Many of them were seated outside of 
their dwellings, the women covered to the eyes in a large 
blue cotton wrapping cloth, which, with a pair of loose 
trowsers of the same materials, forms their only garment, 
and is fastened over the nose either by a brass ornament, 
a row of small coins, or a few coral beads, and wearing 
massive bracelets of silver or brass upon their naked 
tattooed arms ; the children without a vestige of clothing 



ALEXANDRIA. 



307 



even upon those who appear to be nine or ten years old, 
and their stomachs frightfully distended from the im- 
moderate use of water, which is their only beverage. 
Poor little wretches ! they appear to me to possess 
neither the lineaments nor the gaiety of infancy; and 
the state of their eyes, for the most part affected with 
ophthalmia, and covered with flies, filled me with pity 
for their neglected condition. The manner in which 
they are carried by their mothers, astride upon one 
shoulder, has something patriarchal and picturesque in 
it ; indeed the whole bearing and carriage of these bare- 
limbed women is graceful in the extreme, and when they 
are carrying their well-poised water jars upon their 
heads, without the assistance of either hand, no Anda- 
lusian could tread the earth with greater freedom and 
grace. 

" Pompey's Pillar has probably little to do with him 
whose name it bears. It is supposed that the shaft, one 
entire and noble block of granite, once belonged to the 
temple of Serapis, and that the pedestal and capital 
were added in honour of Diocletian, the Roman Em- 
peror. It is certainly not a purely Egyptian monu- 
ment, but belongs to the time of the Roman dominion 
over Egypt. It has been erected upon a mass of old 
ruins, probably brought from Memphis, or from the 
temples of Upper Egypt, when Alexandria was under 
the Roman yoke. Doubtless, under the mounds of 
rubbish and sand which surround this colossal pillar, 
many precious relics of Egyptian splendour are buried, 
but no attempt to excavate them has yet been made. 

" Returning from the pillar, we passed by the great 
Moslem cemetery of Alexandria, a dreary place of stones, 
spreading far around, without a blade of grass or a 
cypress tree to break the burning monotony of the sandy 
soil. Two or three funeral processions were approach- 
ing it; the bodies, laid upon a wooden tray, and covered 
with a cotton cloth, were irreverently borne along at a 
quick trot, upon the shoulders of four men, and behind 



308 ALEXANDRIA. 

followed the mourners, some chanting, and others utter- 
ing the usual funeral howl j but there appeared to be 
no real woe in the thing. 




poppet's pillar. 

" Cleopatra's Needles are thoroughly Egyptian monu- 
ments, and came from before the temple of the Sun, at 
Heliopolis. They are pillars of rose-coloured granite, 
thickly covered with hieroglyphics. One of them lies 
on the ground, half buried in sand. The other is still 
standing, and the hieroglyphics upon two of its sides 
are as sharply fresh as though they had been chisseled 
yesterday. The remaining antiquities of Alexandria 



ALEXANDRIA. 



309 



are the catacombs, the so-called baths of Cleopatra, and 
Caesars camp. The principal monuments, however, of 
Alexandria, disappeared before the victorious arms of 
the caliph Omar's general, Amr. Alexandria held out 
an obstinate siege of more than a year, owing to the 
difficulties presented to the besiegers by the canals of 
the Delta ; but at last it was obliged to yield, and, of 
course, fared the worse for its previous resistance. Some 
idea of the wealth and magnificence of ancient Alex- 
andria may be formed from the accounts despatched by 
Amr to the caliph at Damascus, in which he stated that 
the conquered city contained 4,000 palaces, 4,000 baths, 
400 theatres, 12,000 shops for the sale of food, and 
40,000 tributary Jews. The wealth was ordered to be 
reserved for the public use, but the intellectual stores 
contained in Alexandria were ruthlessly condemned to 
be destroyed ; for the caliph ordered that the famous 
library should be burned, and its volumes were conse- 
quently devoted to the purpose of heating the baths in 
the city. 

" After riding through the interminable heaps of 
rubbish that mark the site of ancient Alexandria, we 
directed our course to a spot about two miles distant 
from the town, interesting to all English travellers as the 
battle-ground where Abercromby fell in that memorable 
engagement which checked the power of Napoleon 
Buonaparte. 

u The most beautiful, the most striking objects in the 
scenery of Alexandria, are the date-palms, with their 
lofty elegant trunks, their graceful feathery foliage, and 
their enormous pendent clusters of fruit, hanging in rich 
abundance . . . They abound in and about Alexandria ; 
and this being the season when the dates are ripe, we 
have seen them in full perfection, and have been enabled 
to judge of the great superiority of the fresh fruit over 
the dried ones, which are alone known in Europe. We 
have also for the first time tasted bananas here ; but I 
fancy that it requires custom to make one relish this 



310 



ALEXANDRIA. 



luscious fruit. In Signer Ghibarra's garden, which is a 
charming one, we saw a colossal description of lemon. 
The tree is not larger than those I have seen in Spain 
and Italy, but the fruit is of the size of a pumpkin. 
Oranges are also in great abundance, and well flavoured. 
In short, the fertility of the soil is all-apparent, and if 
every part of Egypt is as fruitful as Alexandria, the 
whole country may be compared to one vast garden." — 
See Temples and Tombs of Egypt. 

" Under yonder vast field of undulating sand-hills, 
lie the rubs of what was once a city of 600,000 
souls, second only to imperial Rome ! The only ves- 
tiges of so much human grandeur, are fragments of 
marble, porphyry, glass, and pottery, which strew the 
ground where the passing traveller wanders in mo- 
ralizing mood, revolving the names of ' mighty men, men 
that were of old, men of renown !' All the streets were 
wide enough for horses and chariots. Two very broad 
streets bisected each other at right angles, forming at 
their intersection a grand square ■ and the city was full 
of magnificent temples and palaces. Of the great 
marble lighthouse on the island or peninsula of Pharos, 
no vestiges remain . . . The ancient mole separating the 
two harbours and connecting Pharos with the continent, 
is still partly visible . . . The sky, to the south and 
south-west, looks like a canopy of brass, from the reflec- 
tion of the sun's rays from the sandy ocean ; and the 
sight, no doubt, soon suffers if neglected, which accounts 

for the usual loss of one eye among the poor people here. 

* * * * 

" The bread is excellent, and the water deliciously 
cooled by evaporation through porous earthern bottles, 
brought from the Upper Nile. 

" The musquitoes are even now only kept at a distance 
by good management of the muslin curtains. It is a 
matter of no small interest to get under this drapery at 
night, without admitting the enemy ; the best way is, 
to whisk a wet towel in all directions for a minute or 



KOSETTA. 



311 



two, and then to effect the entry neatly and speedily as 
may be ; but you are by no means sure for the first half 
hour, whether you have succeeded or not . . . The dogs 
are another plague ; the whole town and neighbourhood 
swarm with ill-favoured beasts, between hyena and jackal, 
sleeping all day in the sun and moving for nobody. 
They are useful, however, as the only scavengers of the 
community, but make night hideous with their howl. 

" The slave-market is a disgusting place — miserable 
negroes, male and female, scarcely human in appearance. 
They are brought out, felt in the joints, teeth examined, 
and made to go through their paces like horses at an 
English fair." — Nozrani in Egypt. 



ROSETTA— THE BAZAAR. 

" We descried Rosetta about two hours before we 
reached it, at the extremity of a long flat valley of sand. 
The rays of the setting sun gave a red tinge to the 
surface of the desert, and as we approached the town, 
we entered a beautiful grove of palms, growing luxu- 
riantly out of sandy hillocks. Some of our attendants 
had got before us, and were waiting for us, in eastern 
style, at the gate. We rode through streets silent as 
the grave, with not even a solitary lamp to cheer the 
eye. The houses seemed nothing else than lofty walls 
of brick or red granite. Many of them appeared to be 
wholly deserted, though sometimes a turbaned head was 
dimly seen at the narrow windows. The darkness of 
evening, the gloom of the buildings, and the silence of 
the town, made our entrance into Rosetta peculiarly 
sombre. We lodged at the Latin convent . . . (but) had 
scarcely sat down when we heard the sound of music 
and mirth, and running to the window observed the 
glare of torches in the street. We were told that it was 
'the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride.' The 
bridegroom was on his way to the house of the bride . . . 



312 



CAIRO. 



" We went to the bazaar; a strange scene of filth and 
wretchedness. The shops were poorly supplied,except in 
the article of cucumbers ■ but the miserable objects that 
were crawling about, — sore-eyed children perched on their 
mothers' shoulders, with faces half devoured by flies, — 
old men half-blind, — and all filthy in the extreme, pre- 
sented a scene that cannot be described. At twelve 
o'clock, the muzzein, who were standing on the minaret 
of the mosque, called the people to prayer, for it was 
noon. The deep-toned and prolonged cry of these 
watchmen is heard over the whole city ; and if it were a 
call to the worship of the true God, would have a solemn 
effect ... As it was Friday, the mosques were all open. 
Looking into one of them, we observed a row of turban ed 
worshippers, all kneeling at the same time. On approach- 
ing too near the door, we were warned to withdraw. 
Looking into another, we observed a man in a kind of 
pulpit addressing the worshippers, who were seated in 
a row upon a marble floor, with their eyes directed 
towards the preacher." — Jfission to the Jeivs. 



VOYAGE BY CAXAL TO CAIRO. 
Cairo — descriptions or the city— boexac. 

Havixg secured a passage by the canal boat, we 
embarked for Cairo. The boat - or barge is narrow, 
dirty, and uncomfortable ; but proceeds at great speed, 
drawn by horses at full gallop on the bank ; the palm- 
tree ropes now and then breaking, and the steeds bolting, 
pursued by well-mounted Arabs, yelling with all their 
might. This canal is considered a great wonder ; but is 
little better than a broad ditch, rudely dug through a 
level country requiring no locks. In 1819, the pasha 
commenced the undertaking by seizing a hundred thou- 
sand peasants, and set them to work under military 
discipline, — the wages principally paid by the bastinado. 



CAIRO. 



313 



Those who had not spades wherewith to dig, had fingers 
and nails to scoop and scratch withal; and so, at the 
end of one year, the canal was opened, with little ex- 
pense beyond the bread and onions consumed by a 
hundred thousand peasants ; more than twenty thousand 
of whom left their bones in this grave of their own 
digging. — Nozrani in Egy^t. 

" Cairo, Nov. 1845. — This morning I awoke in a new 
world ! The sun, the bright sunshine of Egypt, streamed 
in golden rays through the curtains of the vast projecting 
window of my bedchamber ; strange, unwonted noises 
were heard in the street below, and roused me from a 
dream of home. Throwing open the casement, my eyes 
were greeted with such oriental groupings as riveted me 
to the spot. Early as the hour was, the space before the 
hotel was already full of life, and movement, and noise, 
(for nothing here is done quietly.) 

" Near the door were kneeling two camels laden with 
stones, and growling vehemently . . . here a group of 
old ilrabs in huge white turbans, squatted under a wall, 
were waving their flyfLappers over the heaps of flat 
cakes of bread and ripe dates that were spread upon the 
ground before them, for sale. There stood a serpent 
charmer, with a large living snake coiled twice round 
his neck, and a bag full of lively vipers in each hand, 
offering his services to whoever wished their premises 
to be cleared of such unwelcome guests. In the centre 
of the place were gathered together twenty or thirty 
donkeys, all ready caparisoned for hire, with high 
fronted saddles covered with red morocco, and carpets 
spread over them, fit to carry gentleman or lady; and 
their noisy drivers standing by, vociferating among 
themselves as Arabs only can do ; their dark slender 
limbs covered merely with a blue cotton shirt, their 
swarthy faces surmounted by a white turban, scarcely 
one among them possessing two eyes, such are the 
ravages of ophthalmia in this clime. Immediately 
facing my window rises the tall minaret of a neighbour- 



314 



CAIRO. 



ing mosque, and from its upper gallery sounded the 
deep -toned cry of the muezzin calling to prayer. And 
now rushed by a half-naked Arab, running at the 
top of his speed, and loudly cracking a long whip 
to clear the way for the Caireen gentleman in silken 
robes, who followed upon a richly caparisoned steed, 
all covered with velvet, and gold, and tassels ; his 
pipe bearer riding close behind him. And hark ! what 
shrieks are those ? . . . The Moristan (or public mad- 
house) of Cairo is close by, and the frantic merriment 
and wild yells of its wretched inmates mingle with the 
busy hum of everf-day life. 

" The approach to our house is by the usual narrow 
lane, where the projecting lattices of the upper story 
almost meet. These lanes issue from streets somewhat 
broader, constituting the great thoroughfares of the city, 
from which they are separated by large wooden gates, 
closed at night, and guarded by porters wrapped in 
the hooded white blanket Arab cloak; and before ad- 
mission can be gained, the challenge of the warders 
must be answered : ' Proclaim that God is one.' Reply : 
6 There is no God but God.' The zealous Mussulman 
may add, ' Mohammed is the Prophet of God.' 

" ~No one is allowed to walk after sunset without a 
lantern, usually made of transparent waxed cloth, which 
folds up flat between a top and bottom of thin copper or 
pasteboard. 

" The streets of Cairo, if streets they may be called 
that are seldom more than six feet wide, are altogether 
unpaved j and to avoid intolerable dust, the water 
carriers are employed to sprinkle the contents of their 
dripping goatskins, right and left, through every 
thoroughfare. If the aspersion be at all too liberal, the 
dry mud becomes a slippery, slimy paste, upon which 
man and beast, i.e. rider and donkey, are very apt to 
measure their length. The first stories of the houses 
are usually built of stone, striped alternately red and 
white; the upper part of sun-dried bricks ; the large 



CAIRO. 



315 



projecting windows are of wooden lattice-work, admit- 
ting sufficient air and light for those within, but effec- 
tually screening them from the observation of those 
without ; glass panes are seldom found and little 
needed in a climate where it scarcely ever rains, and 
where the winter temperature averages nearly 60°. The 
street doors are often highly ornamented with arched 
stonework, the wood being painted red, green, and white. 
The entry to each house is usually guarded by a porter; 
(and a) zigzag passage, which baffles curious eyes from 
the street, (leads) into a court yard, upon which look 
the windows of the hareem, or women's apartments. 
The fair inmates often take up a position behind the 
lattices, where they see, unseen ; while various enter- 
tainments of dancing, music, singing, and story-telling 
are frequently carried on below for their amusement. 
The great object of domestic architecture is, to keep the 
hareem sacred from all intrusion and observation." 

" We were preceded to the hotel at Cairo by a run- 
ning fellah, cracking a long whip to clear the way, and 
another carrying over his shoulder a long pole, upon 
the summit of which was affixed an iron cresset filled 
with blazing wood, — a magnificent description of link, 
and an indispensable night accompaniment in a city 
where street lamps are unknown. 

" Cairo is purely an Arab city . . . the houses are 
most picturesque in their construction, with large pro- 
minent windows of wooden lattice-work elegantly carved, 
the upper stories projecting over the lower ones so as 
almost to exclude sunshine from the narrow streets, in 
many of which the opposite houses nearly touch each 
other. Mosques and public fountains are numerous 
and beautiful; the shops are small, and presenting no 
outward show of merchandize ; the owner sits cross- 
legged upon a carpet spread over his shopboard, which 
contains just space enough to accommodate one customer 
on the cushion that occupies the other end. As to the 
costume of the people, you see flowing Caireen robes of 



316 



CAIRO. 



silk, or the elegant dress of cloth, richly braided. The 
dark face of the Copt looks more sombre, surmounted by 
his black turban ; the wild eyes of the Mecca Arab flash 




STREET IN CAIRO. 

brightly beneath the voluminous folds c of his snowy 
muslin turban : ' the Mograbbyn moves majestically 
along, wrapped in his white burnoose; and the Egyptian 
lady, mounted on her 'high ass/ preceded by a black 
eunuch, and enveloped from head to foot in a vast 
wrapping mantle of black silk, which leaves nothing 
visible but her dark, elongated eyes peering forth from 



CAIRO. 



317 



a white face-veil, looks like nothing one has ever seen 
before. 

" The bazaars, as in all Eastern cities, are divided 
into covered streets ; each devoted to a distinct branch 
of trade, and each closed at night by a chain and 
wooden doors, which are guarded by a watchman. The 
noise, the bustle, the jostling of the streets of Cairo, 
who shall attempt to describe ? Everybody screams, and 
gesticulates, and pushes right and left to make good 
their own way among the dromedaries, camels, horses, 
and asses, which incessantly circulate through those 
narrow causeways. Then, the itinerant venders of all 
sorts of eatables are innumerable; and their cries add 
to the babel-like clamour. Our first visit was to the 
citadel, where the renowned sultan Saladin once held 
his court. The remains of his palace now consist only 
of some fine fragments of antique granite columns, pro- 
bably brought from Memphis or Heliopolis." — Temples 
and Tombs of Egypt. 

" The other day we went to Boulac, situated on the 
banks of the Nile ; it is, properly speaking, the port of 
Cairo, and the busy scene it presents at this time of the 
year is not exceeded by any of our quays in Europe. 
The large (boats), some of forty and fifty tons, make 
an immense profit during the overflowing of the Nile; 
the stream brings them down with great rapidity, 
and the strong north breeze takes them up again with 
equal speed. It is said, these boats sometimes clear half 
their original cost the first season ; a great part of the 
year, when the Nile is in its bed, they are laid up in 
ordinary, as their great draught of water prevents them 
navigating at that season. 

" We thought it remarkable, that we had never met, 
throughout Egypt, with the remains of anything like a 
pavement to their cities, with the exception of Antinoe, 
where we clearly made out the streets paved in many 
places. There are no hedges in Egypt." — Irby and 
Mangles. 



318 



ISLAND OF EHODA. 

" There is a fine garden in the vicinity of Cairo, 
which belongs to Ibrahim Pasha, and occupies the whole 
of the little island of Rhoda, the locality pointed out to 
travellers as being the spot where Pharaoh's daughter 
went down to the river to bathe, and found the infant 
Moses among the bulrushes. This garden is under the 
superintendence of Mr. Trail, a Scotch horticulturist, 
and is rich in every variety of tropical vegetation, and 
Indian trees, besides whatever European productions 
can be made to succeed in this dry and burning climate. 
It is laid out in the English style, and the beautiful 
flower beds, and the graceful willows drooping their 
flexible branches over marble balustrades into the calm 
Nile, reminded me of the fair gardens of the West, and 
some of those lovely creations of my own country, which 
have no equal in any other part of the world. ISTo pains 
or expense have been spared in rendering the gardens of 
Rhoda as complete as possible ; but when I inquired of 
Mr. Trail whether Ibrahim Pasha understands enough 
of botany or horticulture to appreciate the rare collection 
of plants and trees he has assembled together there, he 
assured me that all his highness's knowledge of that 
science is comprised in enjoying a fine peach when it is 
served at his table. The ladies of his hareem are 
occasionally permitted to visit the gardens, but Mr. 
Trail declares that he would rather see a flight of 
locusts alight upon the premises than these fair recluses. 
They gather half the flowers, tread down the remainder, 
devour all the fruit within their reach, and six months 
are scarcely sufficient to repair the ravages effected in 
less than six hours by them when they are let loose in 
the bowers of Rhoda." — Temples and Tombs of Egypt. 



ZOAN. 



319 




RUINS OF ZOAN. 



ZOAN, OR TANIS. 
SCRIPTURE NOTICES. 

" Marvellous things did lie in the sight of their 
fathers in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan." — 
Ps. lxxviii. 12. (ver. 43.) 

" Surely the princes of Zoan are fools." — Isa. xix. 11, 
13; (xxx. 4.) 

" I . . . will set fire in Zoan, (or Tanis.)" — Ezek. 
xxx. 14. 



" We landed at the village of San, anciently called 
Tanis, and in Scripture Zoan, one of the most ancient 
cities in the world. The fine alluvial plain around 
was no doubt 4 the field of Zoan,' where God did mar- 
vellous things in the days of Moses. We pitched 



320 



ZOAN. 



our tents upon the bank, to shelter ourselves from 
the rajs of an almost vertical sun, while the wild 
Arabs came round, some to gaze upon the strangers, and 
some to offer old coins and small imag-es for sale. In 
the cool of the day we wandered forth, and 3Ir. Bonar, 
passing over some heaps of rubbish a few minutes' walk 
from the village, started a fox from its lair. Following 
after it, he found himself among low hills of loose 
alluvial matter, full of fragments of pottery, while 
beyond these lay several heaps of large stones, which on 
a nearer inspection he found to be broken obelisks, and 
ruins of what may have been ancient temples, the relics 
of a glory that is departed; but darkness came on, and 
obliged him to return to the tent It was a lovely 
moonlight night, and very pleasant it was to unite in 
prayer and in singing psalms amid the wild Arabs, in 
the very region where God had wrought so many 
wonders, long ago. TTe read over Isaiah xix., ' The 
burden of Egypt,' in our tent, and when we looked out 
on the paltry mud village of San. with its wretched 
inhabitants, we saw God's word fulfilled before our eyes. 
' Surely the princes of Zoan are fools . . . Where are 
they ( Where are thy wise men 1 ' The people of the 
modern village are extremely filthy and ignorant, famous 
for pilfering, and not to be trusted. Our sheikh and 
servants kept watch round our tents the whole night, 
one of them with a naked sabre, (which lay by his side 
gleaming in the moonlight,) keeping one another awake 
by a low Arab chant. 

" At sunrise, next morning, we took a full survey of all 
that now remains of ancient Zoan. We found that the 
large mounds of alluvial matter which cover the ruins 
of brick and pottery, extend about two miles from east 
to west, and one mile and a half from north to south. 
The whole country round appeared to be covered, not 
with sand, but with soil which might be cultivated to 
the utmost if there was water. The most remarkable 
relics of this ancient city lie at the western extremity. 



LAND OF GOSHEN. 



321 



We came upon immense blocks of red granite lying in a 
heap. All had been hewn, some were carved, and some 
were still lying regularly placed one above another. 
Here probably stood the greatest temple of Zoan, and 
there seems to have been an open square round it. 
Possibly, also, a stream flowed through the very midst 
of the city, for at present there is the dry channel of a 
torrent. Farther to the north we found ten or twelve 
obelisks, fallen and prostrate, and two sphinxes, broken 
and half sunk into the ground. Among the mounds 
we could clearly trace buildings of brick, the bricks 
still retaining their original place. The remains of 
pottery, however, were most remarkable, consisting of 
jars of the ancient form without number, all broken into 
fragments, many of them bearing the clearest marks of 
the action of fire, showing that God has literally fulfilled 
the word of the prophet, 6 1 will set fire in Zoan.' " — 
Mission to the Jews, 



LAND OF GOSHEN, OR BAMESES. 
SCRIPTURE NOTICES. 

" In the best of the land ... in the land of Goshen 
let (the Israelites) dwell . . . And Joseph placed his 
father and his brethren ... in the best of the land, in 
the land of Eameses, as Pharaoh had commanded." — 
Gen. xlvii. 6, 11 ; (ver. 27.) 

" I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in 
which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be 
there.'— Exod. viii. 22. 



u The land of Goshen lay on the east of the Delta, 
and was the part of Egypt nearest to Palestine ; this 
tract is now comprehended in the modern province Esh- 
Shurkiyeh. That the land of Goshen lay upon the 

Y 



322 



LAND OF GOSHEX. 



waters of the Nile, is apparent from the circumstance 
that the Israelites practised irrigation ; that it was a 
land of seed, figs, vines, and pomegranates : that the 
people ate of fish freely ; while the enumeration of the 
articles for which they longed in the desert, corresponds 
remarkably with the list given by Mr. Lane as the food 
of the modern fellahs. - We remember the fish we did 
eat in Egypt freely ; the cucumbers, and the melons, 
and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic' All this 
goes to show that the Israelites, when in Egypt, lived 
much as the Egyptians do now, and that the land of 
Goshen probably extended further west, and more into 
the Delta than has usually been supposed. They would 
seem to have lived interspersed among the Egyptians of 
that district, perhaps in separate villages . . . This appears 
from the circumstance of their borrowing - jewels of gold 
and silver' from their Egyptian neighbours; and also 
from the fact, that their houses were to be marked with 
blood, in order that thev might be distinguished and 

JO o ^ 

spared in the last dread plague of the Egyptians. The 
immediate descendants of Jacob were doubtless shepherds, 
like their forefathers, dwelling in tents ; and probably 
drove their flocks for pasture far up in the valleys of the 
desert, like the present inhabitants of the same region. 
Even now there is a colony of Arabs, about fifty 
families, living (in these parts), who cultivate the soil and 
yet dwell in tents. They came thither from Mount 
Sinai, and acquired such a taste for the good things of 
Egypt, that, like the Israelites, they could not live in 
the desert. The land of Goshen was ' the best of the 
land / and such too the province Esh-Shurkiyeh has 
ever been, down to the present time, (being now famous 
for its fertility.) There are here more flocks and herds 
than anywhere else in Egypt ■ and also more fisher- 
men." — Robinson's Researches, vol. i. pp. 76 — 79. 

u The sun was getting low in the horizon, and casting 
lengthened shadows, as we wound slowly along the 
crowded streets of Cairo, towards the gate which opened 



ON HELIOPOLIS. 



323 



upon the skirts of the desert. The sun was bathing, 
in his last gorgeous rays, the mosques and minarets of 
the ancient city, and illuminating the land of Goshen, 
which stretched out with its flat and still green and 
productive surface yet further on our left ... A greater 
variety of conjectures than the simplicity of the subject 
requires has been offered, as to the precise locality of 
the land of Goshen. One of the clearest proofs that it 
lay along the east side of the Pelusiac branch of the 
Nile, which is the most easterly branch of the river, 
arises out of the fact, that the Israelites on their depar- 
ture from Egypt did not pass over the Nile ; and we 
therefore readily assume that it must have included 
the district of Heliopolis, which lay on the eastern 
border of the Delta. The land of Goshen was certainly 
the best pasture ground of Lower Egypt, and well 
adapted for pastoral pursuits ; for Joseph recommended 
it to his family as c the best of the land ;' and Pharaoh 
promised to give them c the good of the land of Egypt,' 
and the 'fat of the land.'" — Fisk's Pastors Memorial. 



ON, AVEN, OR BETHSHEMESH— HELIOPOLIS. 
SCRIPTURE NOTICES. 

" (Pharaoh gave Joseph to wife) Asenath, the daugh- 
ter of Poti-pherah, priest of On." — Gen. xli. 45. 

" He shall break also the images of Bethshemesh. 5 ' — 
Jer. xliii. 13. 

" The young men of Aven . . . shall fall by the 
sword." — Ezeh xxx. 17. 



We passed " the ancient site of On, or Aven, or Beth- 
shemesh of Scripture, and Heliopolis of the Septuagint, 
famed for its Temple of the Sun ; but all its glories are 
gone, save one lonely obelisk, the hieroglyphics deeply 
and beautifully sculptured on the Syene stone, the 



324 



ON — HELIOPOLIS. 



characters filled with the cells of the wild bee, thousands 
of which are flying about. An old gnarled sycamore, 
covered with the names of pilgrims, is asserted* by 
tradition to have been the resting-place of Joseph and 
Mary, after their flight across the desert. The Scripture 
mention of On occurs only in Genesis, in speaking of 
Potipherah, priest of the Sun, and father-in-law of 
Joseph ; but Aven is threatened with destruction and 
desolation by Ezekiel and Hosea. Strabo speaks of the 
ruins as being very grand in his time, (1800 years ago,) 
and says that two of the remaining obelisks were trans- 
ported to Rome, and that some were still left, erect or 
prostrate, though marked with the consuming fire of the 
furious Cambyses. The porches and pillars, statues and 
sphinxes, of which he talks, are all gone for ever." — 
Nozrani in Egypt. 

" The only objects which attract the attention of the 
visitor are an obelisk, erect, but partly imbedded in 
sand ; the mounds forming the remains of the ancient 
City of the Sun, in the centre of which the obelisk 
stands ; the well of Matariyah, denominated 'Ain Esh- 
Shems, or the Fountain of the Sun ; a few disfigured 
fragments of pillars and sphinxes, and the sycamore tree 
under which Joseph and Mary, with the infant Saviour, 
are conjectured to have rested during the flight to 
Egypt. The obelisk is the most ancient extant, and it 
bears the name of Osirtasen I. in whose reign Sir Gar- 
diner Wilkinson supposes Joseph came into Egypt. 

" The word translated images, (Jer. xliii. 13,) in our 
version, more properly signifies pillars or columns, and 
may doubtless apply to the obelisks, and sphinxes, and 
pillars, as well as to the temple images of Heliopolis, 
which were less conspicuous, and which, with all the 
idolatrous erections at the place, have long ago been 
destroyed. Speaking of the inhabitants of Heliopolis, 
Herodotus says they were deemed the i most learned of 
all the Egyptians.' Strabo gives a notice of its ancient 
temple, where was kept the bull Mnevis, nourished and 



ON HELIOPOLIS. 



325 



worshipped by the Egyptians as a god, as that named 
Apis at Memphis. From Mnevis in its youthful form, 
the Israelites are supposed to have derived their type 
of the golden calf. Apis is always represented black, 
but Mnevis white, or yellow." — See Wilson's Lands of 
the Bible, 

" The ride from Cairo to Heliopolis, the On of Scrip- 
ture, is delightful ; the first part is across the skirt of 
the desert, where a picturesque object meets the eye, in 
the tomb of the Moslem prince on whom Eichard Coeur- 
de-Lion was desirous of bestowing the hand of his 
sister, Matilda of England. Farther on, the road lies 
through green fields and shady avenues of acacia trees, 
and the whole air is redolent of the delicious perfumes 
of bean blossoms, and alive with the hum of wild 
bees. The ' land of Goshen' is opening upon you, and 
its actual aspect bears out the ancient renown, for pas- 
toral fertility, which caused it to be conceded by 
Pharaoh as an abode to Jacob and his sons, when 
Joseph persuaded them to leave their own country, and 
to bring their flocks and herds with them, that they 
might dwell near him in the land of Egypt. I cannot 
describe the deep and reverential interest with which 
one treads the ground rendered sacred by its associations 
with Bible history ; and while the imagination of the 
traveller is carried back to the days of the patriarchs, 
and fancy peoples the land with the venerable forms of 
Joseph's kindred ; no pert innovation of modern times, 
in the shape of recent civilization, is visible, to dispel the 
momentary illusion. The swarthy Arab, with turbaned 
head and naked limbs, laboriously irrigates his fields by 
means of the primitive shadoof; the patient ox, unmuz- 
zled, treads out the corn ; and long strings of camels 
and asses bear home loads of green provender, exactly 
in the same manner as in the days of the pastor 
patriarchs. 

" No vestige of the ancient On remains, except an 
obelisk sixty-five feet high, of a far less beautiful de- 



326 



NOPH, OR 3IE3IPHIS. 



scription than those of Luxor and Karnac, the sole re- 
maining one, (with the exception of Cleopatra's Needle,) 
now to be seen in Lower Egypt. The cartouches upon 
its four sides show it to have been erected by Osirtasen, 
the Pharaoh of Joseph ; and as some indications for- 
merly existed of an avenue of sphinxes leading from it, 
and part of a sphinx was lately found there, most probably 
this solitary obelisk formed one of the pair which stood 
before the entrance of the celebrated Temple of the Sun, 
at Heliopolis. Swarms of wild bees now encrust all the 
upper part with their nests, which they have deposited 
with the utmost nicety in the carvings of the ovals and 
hieroglyphics ; and Ave incurred some risk of being stung 
by them as we approached the base of their lofty abode, 
for they appeared to look upon us as aggressors on the 
premises, and descending in flights, wheeled about our 
heads and settled upon our clothes, without harming us, 
however. The obelisk stands in a garden full of rose- 
mary and other fragrant herbs, (but I could discover 
none of the balsam for which Materieh was formerly 
famous ;) and standing beneath the shadow of this lonely 
monument, I in vain looked around me for some other 
trace of the famous City of the Sun where J oseph dwelt, 
and where Moses became ' learned in the wisdom of the 
Egyptians.' All is now a level blank, and the words of 
prophecy have been illustrated to the letter in On, as in 
Noph and No, — the pomp of Egypt is destroyed, and she 
is destitute of that of which she was full." — Temples and 
Tombs of Egypt. 



NOPH, MOPH, OR MEMPHIS. 
SCRIPTURE NOTICES. * 

" The princes of ]S T oph are deceived." — Isa. xix. 13. 
" The children of Xoph and Tahapanes have broken 
the crown of thy head." — Jev. ii. 16; (xliv. 1.) 



NOPH, OR MEMPHIS. 



327 



" Publish in Noph . . . say ye, Stand fast, and prepare 
thee ; for the sword shall devour round about thee . . . 
Noph shall be waste and desolate without an inhabitant." 
— Jer. xlvL 14, 19. 

" Thus saith the Lord God, I will also destroy the idols, 
and I will cause their images to cease out of Noph." — 
Ezeh. xxx. 13. 



" In approaching this interesting spot, the traveller 
passes through a magnificent grove or forest of palm 
trees, extending for miles along the bank of the river, 
and almost concealing from view the villages now re- 
cognised as the site of the ancient Memphis, the Noph 
of Scripture, the royal city of Egypt. Truly, that 
which was written has come to pass : ' Noph shall be 
waste and desolate without an inhabitant.' Apis and 
Osiris, the temples, the idols, and the images are gone, 
and have left no trace. 4 Thus saith the Lord God, 
I will destroy the idols, and will cause the images to 
cease out of Noph.' The only image that remains as a 
memorial of the past, is the beautiful colossal statue of 
Sesostris, in red granite, now prostrate, and lately exca- 
vated to the head and shoulders . . . The features are 
exquisitely chiselled, and the expression gentle and 
benignant. The height of the statue, more than half of 
which is yet buried, cannot be less than forty feet. 
A few granite fragments, deeply cut with hieroglyphics, 
are the only relics of this capital of the Pharaohs ; and 
c Noph must' indeed ( have had distresses daily,' before her 
name, and place, and remembrance could have been so 
blotted out from among the nations. She cried unto the 
gods she had chosen, but they could not deliver her in the 
time of tribulation, and she is now ( cast up as heaps/ 
and nothing of her left." — N.ozrani in Egypt, 

" We had a charming ride over the site of ancient 
Memphis, where now stands the village of Metrahineh, 
embosomed in a magnificent forest of palm-trees. 
During the period of the inundation, as the waters rise 



328 



NOPH, OR MEMPHIS. 



and approach the houses of Metrahineh, the population 
abandon their habitations, and establish temporary abodes 
in the palm-trees, where they construct a scaffolding 
which serves them to sit and sleep upon. Above their 
heads hang the clusters of dates which compose their 
food ; and beneath their feet roll the waters of the Nile, 
where they slake their thirst, and thus they sustain 
themselves and live like birds or monkeys, until the 
waters subsiding, once more enable them to descend and 
rebuild their mud hovels, which are always destroyed by 
the inundation. 

" The once magnificent Memphis, the Noph of the 
Scriptures, the abode of royalty, the capital of Lower 
Egypt under the Pharaohs, has been swept irrecoverably 
from the face of the earth, and left no trace of temple or 
palace behind ; nothing, save the mutilated half of a 
colossal statue of Rhamses Sesostris, remains to tell of 
the ancient splendour of this city, whose desolation was 
foretold in the inspired words of prophecy. This huge 
fragment now lies on its face in a large pool of water . . . 
We stumbled (also) upon a small statue of rose-coloured 
granite, (of extremely beautiful workmanship,) which 
appears either to have formed part of an altar, or to have 
been an accessary to a statue of much larger dimensions, as 
a considerable body of granite, of which it forms a part, 
is buried in the ground. This, and the capital of a 
column, are the sole vestiges, besides the prostrate 
Sesostris, that we could trace of the royal city of Memphis. 
But we could judge of what it had been by its vast 
necropolis, which covers an immense tract of the desert. 
This dreary space is scattered from one end to the 
other with skulls and bones bleached white as snow, and 
other evidences of the reckless commerce which for years 
has been carried on with the spoils of the dead by the 
natives. 

. " Memphis is a city of the very highest antiquity, 
its origin being attributed to Menes. i He raised/ 
says Herodotus, 'a dyke at Memphis/ for anciently the 



NOPH, OR MEMPHIS. 329 

river flowed near the sandy hills which skirt Libya ; 
but he, filling up the river at the turn it makes about a 
hundred furlongs southward of Memphis, laid the old 
channel dry, and led the stream midway between the 
mountains. This Menes, the first of the kings, having 
drained the ground which he had secluded, founded on the 
spot the city called Memphis. Memphis is situated in the 
narrowest part of Egypt. Without the city, he dug a 
reservoir from the river towards the north and west, for 
towards the east it was bounded by the Kile itself. The 
same monarch reared at Memphis a vast and renowned 
temple of Vulcan. Memphis continued to be the capital 
of Lower Egypt throughout many dynasties, though 
sometimes, as we learn from the monuments, and from 
the prophet Isaiah, it divided this honour with Zoan or 
Tanis. (Which of the two cities was the capital when 
Joseph entered the country, and when the Exodus took 
place, cannot with certainty be determined). It suffered 
much from the invasion of the Persians at the time 
that the bull Apis was slain by Cambyses ; but it 
again revived, and held its pre-eminence till Alexandria 
began to flourish in so remarkable a manner under the 
Ptolemies. Its site, which is said to have formed a circuit 
of about fifteen miles, has now nothing to mark it out 
but a few mounds, and a colossal statue of Rameses the 
great — a small figure of red granite, greatly mutilated — 
and a few foundations." — See Wilson's Lands of the 
Bible, 



330 



THE PYRAMID?. 




THE PYRAMIDS. 

THE PYRAMIDS. 

"Our first expedition was to the top of the great pyra- 
mid of Cheops . . . the material is limestone, much worn 
and shaken by time and yiolence ; the steps, or rather the 
successiye layers of massiye blocks which constitute the 
pyramid, are not less than two feet high . . . There seems 
no doubt whatever that the pyramids were once cased in 
polished marble, and that the rough broken layers of 
limestone which their sides now expose to view, were 
only intended as rude beds for a more valuable and 
highly wrought material. Herodotus, writing of this 
great pyramid more than two thousand years ago, tells 
us, that tf Cheops ordered stone to be brought from the 
quarries of Arabia certainly not common stone. He 
speaks of these stones as being ( highly polished and ad- 
mirably j ointed, none of them less than thirty feet long.' 
Nothing can be clearer than his description of the mode 
of building. ( This pyramid,' he says, ' was first con- 



THE PYRAMIDS. 



331 



structed after the fashion of steps, and when completed 
so far, the remaining stones were raised up by machines 
made of short wooden logs, by which the blocks were 
raised from the ground on to the first step ; and so on 
from the first to the second, and the second to the 
third, till they reached the top, there being as many 
machines as steps ; and thus they completed the top 
first, and gradually worked their way downwards to the 
base, which was finished last.' All this is clear enough, 
and shows that the external casing of marble was as it 
were dove-tailed into the rough limestone notches or 
steps, which are now stripped of their beautiful smooth 
covering, though patches of cement and splinters of 
marble still adhere in the cracks and crevices ; and 
Cephrene's pyramid, the second in size, is still coated 
with an even bed of mortar for nearly one-third of its 
height from the top, which renders it difficult and dan- 
gerous of ascent. Pliny informs us that the peasants of 
a neighbouring village were famed for their skill in 
climbing these pyramids, (and) it must have been a 
daring and dangerous enterprise to scale the steep, smooth, 
shining, slippery sides of these stupendous masses. 
Diodorus, in the Augustan age, speaks of the great 
pyramid as still uninjured, and built (as he supposed, 
though really only cased), with Arabian marble . . . 

" To restore the pristine glory and grandeur of the 
pyramids, we must suppose them disinterred from the 
sandy grave in which they now stand nearly up to their 
middle, and give them resplendent robes of shining white 
Arabian marble, smooth and polished from the base to 
the apex. Wonderful they assuredly are — strange, sur- 
passing strange. They must have been once beautiful, 
of perfect proportion and resplendent material : sublime 
they still are ; rearing their giant forms, and flinging 
their dark shado\vs in desolate places, for three of the 
six thousand years that have rolled away since c the Lord 
God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed 
into his nostrils the breath of life !' " 



332 



THE PYRAMIDS. 



" Beaching the summit of the pyramid, we throw our- 
selves on its rugged pavement, hot, thirsty, breathless, 
after a neck-and-neck race up the last hundred steps, 
each nearly a yard high ; but the dewy pitcher is at 
hand, we drink a deep cold draught of the Nile's sweet 
water, inhale the fresh breeze of the desert, five hundred 
feet above its level, and then gaze north, south, east and 
west, in long involuntary silence . . . North, we look 
down the river, expanding into the broad Delta of Egypt, 
with its green plains, brown villages, and groves of palm. 
South, we look up the river, contracting its channel into 
the narrow valley of Egypt, still with green fields and 
groves of palm, but walled in with barriers of steep and 
lofty clifFs ten miles asunder. East, we look across the 
river upon the domes and minarets of Cairo, bounded 
by barren rocks and backed by the wilderness of Arabia. 
West, is the African Sahara, backed by nothing and 
bounded by nothing, but its own trembling horizon. 
Sand, dry, flat, and hot ; sand, glaring, blinding, and 
burning ; sand, dreary, trackless, and lifeless ! 

" At our feet is a city of the ancient dead, the Necro- 
polis of Memphis, the burial-place of Noph, the 6 deso- 
late places of her kings and counsellors,' lofty pyramids, 
subterranean galleries, square mummy pits, (many now 
broken and rifled,) and granite sarcophagi. 

" Many a mummy pit lies open before us, rifled of its 
dead, whose remains are scattered about ; brown, dusty, 
crumbling shreds and patches of what was once a man 
. . . What hast thou gained by kicking against the 
pricks, rebelling against the law 1 ' earth to earth, ashes 
to ashes !' for c dust thou art,' after all the swaddling and 
swathing, and ' unto dust must thou return !' . . . After 
three thousand years (thou art) grubbed up as a curious, 
withered, wizened thing, unrobed and unwrapped, and 
flung abroad as a rotten memorial of pitiful ambition ! 
. . . Could not all the wisdom of the Egyptians teach 
thee ' that there is a natural body, and there is a spi- 
ritual body *? ' and that in due season c this corruptible 



MUMMY PITS OF SACCAHA. 



333 



must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on 
immortality — Nozeani in Egypt. 



MUMMY PITS OF SAC CAE A, 

" The great curiosity of Saccara, is the Ibis mummy 
pit, into which we crawl on all-fours till we find our- 
selves by torchlight in the presence of many hundreds 
of earthern jars, which might at first pass for red 
chimney-pots, except that the narrow ends are oval, and 
the broad capped with white mortar or cement. These 
red sugar-loaf shaped pots are piled like empty wine 
bottles in rows one above the other, and each of them 
contains, curiously swaddled, embalmed, packed, and 
potted, a genuine, ancient, and sacred Ibis. We, like 
other travellers, break open an unreasonable number for 
the sake of a perfect specimen, but when exposed they 
soon crumble to powder ; some of the heads and long 
beaks come out perfect, and the black and grey plumage 
of the wings is very discernible. The cave is full of 
broken pottery and Ibis dust, sacrificed to the curiosity 
of new comers, who hammer away without scruple, when 
they are told that thousands more remain in close-packed 
order behind the first ranks. Having smashed our share, 
and secured some bones and feathers, we choose four good 
looking uncracked jars, and retreat with our prizes, 
nearly stifled with the brown snuffy dust of these de- 
parted birds, and glad to clamber up by the perpen- 
dicular hole, through which we issue once more into 
fresh air and daylight. 

"The veneration of the ancient Egyptians for the 
Ibis is said to have arisen from the great utility of the 
bird in ridding the country of serpents, at a period when 
Egypt extended itself much farther into the desert than 
at present ; its habitable breadth being increased by 
artificial irrigation from huge lakes or reservoirs of 



334 



LAKE BOERTS. 



Xile water, conducted by canals at the season of the 
overflow. These immense works were the pride and 
profit of the old inonarchs, conquering large sterile tracts 
of wilderness, and converting them into corn-fields of 
Egypt, by bringing the slimy water of the Nile to stag- 
nate on their surface ; but the serpents of these sandy 
regions were hostile and fatal to man, who, in gratitude 
to the birds that congregated on the new-made lakes and 
waged Avar against the snakes, invested them with a 
sacred character : hence the mummied Ibis, the pits we 
have explored, and the pots we have secured. The living- 
bird is no longer found in Egypt, for . . . the vast lakes 
of the desert are now dried up, or remain only as salt 
natron marshes ; the serpents are left undisturbed in 
their own domain, and the Ibis has winged its way to 
regions further south — the wilds of Ethiopia, where, 
leisurely wading in stagnant water on its long leg's, and 
complacently gobbling writhing vipers in its long beak, 
it wastes no vain regret upon the loss of the priestly 
potting, preserving, and perfuming, that awaited the 
feathers of its fathers. Bruce describes a bird he fre- 
quently saw in Abyssinia, as answering in all respects to 
the mummied Ibis, about twenty inches in height, with 
a curled beak, and black and white plumage." — Xozrani 
in Egypt. 



LAKE aLEBIS. 

" We now approach one of the most extraordinary of 
all the gigantic works of the kings of old, the Lake 
Mseris, described by Herodotus as nearly 300 miles in 
circumference, and 300 feet at the greatest depth, 'made 
with hands and dug !' Xearly in the middle of the lake 
stood two pyramids, each rising 300 feet above the water, 
with as much below as above ; and upon the summit of 
each was a colossal statue of marble. The water for six 



LAKE M^IKIS. 



335 



months flowed into the lake from the Nile, and for six 
months flowed out. While it was ebbing, the king re- 
ceived daily a talent of silver for the fish caught ; while 
flowing, but one-third of a talent. (A talent is equal 
to 2251.) 

" Herodotus describes both the lake and the labyrinth 
as an eye-witness, and is assuredly worthy of credit, 
borne out as he is by Pliny. True, the lake is now much 
smaller, because Egypt is fallen from its high estate ; 
and such a gigantic work required power not only to 
achieve, but to maintain it • ' but the pride of her 
power has come down ' her rivers are dry and her land 
is waste.' It is worth remark, that when the Egyptian 
rivers are spoken of in Scripture, irrigating cancels are 
meant. The prophet likens Pharaoh to the Assyrian, 
6 whom the waters made great,' &c. Yes ! the water 
made, and would again make, Pharaoh great ; the flood 
of the deep Nile sets up, and the drought of the thirsty 
desert brings him low — water is the life of Egypt . . . 

" Of the labyrinth near Lake Mseris, nothing is now 
seen or known. The ' three thousand chambers,' i the 
tombs of the sacred crocodiles, 1 the halls, the pillars, and 
the sculpture, have left no record of their existence but 
in the pages of the old historian . . . however, it was 
but a gigantic monument of human folly and super- 
stition ; and if its memory had perished with it, we 
should have lost nothing but the record of ' works that 
were wrought, and labour that was laboured for vanity 
and vexation of spirit, and no profit under the sun !' " — 
Nozkani in Egypt 



A3DI0X-XQ. 




TEMPLE OF KAB.NAC. 



A3OI0X-N0, OR XO, (THEBES.) 

WONDEEFUl RUINS —TEMPLE Or LUXOR, ETC.— HOUSE IX THEEES- 
SCRIPTURE NOTICES. 

" I will punish the multitude of No, and Pharaoh, and 
Egypt, with their gods and their kings."— Jer. xlvi. 25. 

" I will execute judgments in No ... I will cut off 
the multitude of No ... Ho shall be rent asunder." — 
Ezeh. xxx. 14 — 16. 

" Art thou better than populous No, (or than No- 
Anion.) that was situate among the rivers, that had the 
waters round about it, whose rampart was the sea, and 
her wall was from the sea V Ethiopia and Egypt were 

1 K The sea referred to in this passage is the river Xile, which to the 
present day is named in Egypt, ' the sea,' as its most common appellation. 
Oar Egyptian servants always called it : the sea..' " — Roeixsox. 



AMMON-NO. 



337 



her strength, and it was infinite ; Put and Lubim were 
thy helpers. Yet was she carried away, she went into 
captivity; her young children also were dashed in pieces 
at the top of all the streets ; and they cast lots for her 
honourable men, and all her great men were bound in 
chains." — Nalium iii. 8 — 10. 



The following is the account of a recent traveller : — 
"Forty miles above Dendera, stand, divided by the 
Nile, the mysteriously stupendous ruins of ' immortal 
Thebes,' of whose history the world knows (so little). 
Homer, 900 years before Christ, sings of the hundred- 
gated Thebes. The prophets of Scripture, 300 years 
later, denounce vengeance on the multitude of popu- 
lous No ; to be ' rent asunder,' according to the word 
of the God of Israel ; and fifty years had scarcely 
elapsed before the coming wrath denounced by Ezekiel 
was poured on the devoted city by the ruthless Persian, 
not found slack in the fulfilment of his unconscious 
commission to 6 execute judgments upon No.' Gambyses 
thunders at the hundred gates of Thebes, and we find 
it as the frantic son of Cyrus left it, distressed, over- 
thrown, desolate, and rent asunder. ' Ethiopia and Egypt 
were her strength, and it was infinite; yet went she 
into captivity, and her children were dashed in pieces at 
the top of her streets !' 

" The same inspired voice that tells the fate of No- 
Amon, warns the proudest capital upon earth with the 
words, ' Art thou better than she % ' The prophet Nahum 
is supposed to have written nearly two centuries before 
Cambyses . . . The sea that he speaks of as her rampart, 
is of course the Nile, and the rivers the irrigating canals 
round about. 

"On the eastern side of the river, which is here about 
three-quarters of a mile broad, stand Kurndu, the tombs 
of the kings, the Memnonium, and the temple of Medinet 
Aboo ; westward, the Luxor, with the stupendous piles 
of Karnak . . . There is one sculptured scene in the great 

z 



338 



AM1I0N-N0. 



temple of Karnak, which excites a strong interest, from 
the supposition that it represents the defeat of Reho- 
boam by Shishak. B.C. 970. (2 Chron. xii.) 

" The kins; Shishak is delineated as a oio-antic figure, 
holding in his hand a bunch of several strings, by which 
he leads as many rows of captives to the throne of a 
seated god. The features of the prisoners are thought 
to be Jewish, and the interpreters are satisfied that they 
read 1 king of Judak' in the cartouche of the principal 
captive, personifying the conquered nation, many of 
whom were probably brought to grace the triumph of 
the returning conqueror. ' They shall be his servants, 
that they may know my service, and the service of the 
kingdoms of the countries.' If this sculpture be con- 
temporaneous with the event it commemorates, it must 
be about two thousand seven hundred years old. 

" The general characteristic of all these sculptures is 
unmitigated ferocity. In the temple of Medinet Aboo, 
we see the conqueror seated in his chariot, looking com- 
placently at an immense heap of human hands piled 
before him ; the executioner, with a chopper under his 
arm, is just adding two more to the number. In another 
place, we find a priest at the head of a procession, just 
about to cut the throat of a poor boy on the altar of the 
gigantic idol, and an attendant is at the sam? moment 
letting loose a bird, the emblem of the departing spirit. 
The youngest and fairest captives of the bow and spear 
are supposed to have been thus immolated before the 
shrine of the bloody Moloch . . . The bull Apis makes 
a great figure, borne aloft upon men's shoulders, the 
original, perhaps, of the golden calf in Horeb. 

" Pliny tells us that while Cambyses was looking un- 
moved at the flames which wrapped the city of Thebes, 
he was suddenly so struck with admiration of the great 
obelisk, that he ordered the conflagration to be extin- 
guished in its neighbourhood. Some suppose that the 
Persian spared it, with its fellows, from religious rever- 
ence for the sun, to whose worship they were sacred." 



AMM0N-N0. 



339 



" The walls of all the temples at Thebes are covered 
with sculptures and hieroglyphics, representing in gene 
ral the deeds of the kings who founded or enlarged 
those structures. Many of these afford happy illustra- 
tions of Egyptian history. To me, the most interesting 
was the scene which records the exploits of Sheshonk, 
the Shishak of the Scriptures, who made a successful 
expedition against Jerusalem in the fifth year of King 
Eehoboam, b. c. 971. These sculptures are on the 
exterior of the south-west wall of the great temple of 
Karnak. They represent a colossal figure of this monarch 
advancing, and holding in his hand ten cords, which 
are attached to as many rows of captives, one above 
another, behind him. These he presents to the deity of 
the temple. 1 

" The period in which Thebes enjoyed the greatest 
prosperity, was probably coeval with the reigns of David 
and Solomon, the earliest Jewish Kings. From the 
language of the prophet Nahum, who lived, according 
to Josephus, under King Jotham, about B.C. 750, and 
perhaps for some time later, we learn that the city had 
already in, or before, his day, been sacked, apparently 
by a foreign conqueror. This event may not improbably 
stand in connexion with the expedition of Tartan 
alluded to by the cotemporary prophet Isaiah (ch. xx.) 
Profane history is silent in respect to it, and speaks only 
of the capture of the city by Cambyses, B.C. 525, and 
of its final destruction by Ptolemy Lathyrus, after a 
siege of three years, B.C. 81. From this overthrow it 
never recovered ; and in the time of Strabo, as at pre- 
sent, its site was occupied by several villages." — See 
Robinson's Researches. 

" It is impossible to wander among these scenes (the 
ruins of Thebes) and behold these hoary, yet magnificent 
ruins, without emotions of astonishment and deep solem- 
nity. Everything around testifies of vastness, and of 

i To me most of them seemed to have Jewish features, with short, 
peaked beards. 



340 



AMMON-NO. 



utter desolation. Here lay once that mighty city, whose 
power and splendour were proverbial throughout the 
ancient world. The Jewish prophet, in reproaching 
great Nineveh, breaks forth into the bitter taunt : ' Art 
thou better than populous No (Thebes), that was situate 
among the rivers, the waters round about it, whose 
rampart was the sea, and her wall from the sea?' Yet 
even then Thebes had been 1 carried away into captivity : 
her young children dashed in pieces at the top of all 
her streets ; they had cast lots for her honourable men, 
and all her great men were bound in chains.' Subse- 
quently she was again plundered by Cambyses, and de- 
stroyed by Ptolemy Lathyrus. Her countless generations 
have passed away, leaving their mighty works behind, 
to tell to wanderers from far distant and then unknown 
climes the story of her greatness and her fall. The 
desert hills around are filled with their corpses, for 
which they vainly strove to procure an exemption from 
the dread decree, ' Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt 
thou return.' For twenty-five centuries they have in- 
deed slept securely in their narrow abodes ; from which 
they are now daily wrested, to be trampled into dust 
and scattered to the winds. 

e - The character of Egyptian architecture, as exhibited 
in the temple at Thebes and elsewhere, is heavy and vast 
. . . yet this very vastness, coupled with the associations 
of the place, produces a strong impression of sublimity. 
All is gloomy, awful, grand. The most striking specimens 
of this gigantic architecture, are the great colonnade at 
Luksor, which we first visited by moonlight ; and espe- 
cially the grand hall at Karnak, ' 170 feet by 329, sup- 
ported by a central avenue of twelve massive columns, 
sixty-six feet high (without the pedestal and abacus) 
and twelve in diameter; besides 122 of smaller, or rather 
less gigantic dimensions . . . distributed in seven lines 
on either side of the former ' . . . 

ci The two colossal statues of Amenoph (usually called 
of Memnon) seated majestically upon the plain, once 



AMMON-NO. 



341 



guarded the approach to the temple-palace of that king. 
They are sixty feet high, including the pedestal. The 
temple has perished ; Memnon has long ceased to salute 
the rising sun : and the two statues now sit in lonely 
grandeur, to tell what Thebes once was. The stupendous 
statue of Eemeses II. ... a single block of Syenite 




TEMPLE AND BROKEN STATUE OF MEMNON. 

granite, now prostrate and shattered, still c measures from 
the shoulder to the elbow twelve feet ten inches ; twenty- 
two feet four inches across the shoulders \ and fourteen 
feet four inches from the neck to the elbow.' How this 
enormous mass could ever have been transported from 
Upper Egypt and erected here, is a problem which 
modern science cannot solve ; nor is there much less 
difficulty in accounting for the manner of its destruction. 



342 



AMMON-NO. 



c< Karnak is the croTrning marvel of temples raised with 
hands . . . Never did the wreck of human handiwork 
present such a scene of sublime and wild desolation . . . 
Every round pillar, every square obelisk, and every plain 
surface, a sculptured record of mystic religion, natural 
knowledge, or historic triumph. See that vast battle- 
piece — the warrior, the chariot, the pursuing, the pur- 
sued, the dying, and the dead . . . But the sceptre of 
Karnak' s king is for ever broken — the golden city has 
ceased — her graven images are broken — judgments are 
executed in No — her multitude cut off — and her fences 
rent asunder. ' Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, 
I will punish iVo Anion, and Pharaoh, and Egypt, with 
their gods, and their kings \ and they shall be there a 
base kingdom, and there shall be no more a prince of 
the land of Egypt.' " — Nozrani in Egypt. 

" Very imperfect ideas can be formed of the exten- 
sive ruins of Thebes, even from the accounts of the most 
skilful and accurate travellers. It is absolutely impos- 
sible to imagine the scene displayed, without seeing it. 
The most sublime ideas that can be formed from the 
most magnificent specimens of our present architecture, 
would give a very incorrect picture of these ruins ■ for 
such is the difference, not only in magnitude, but in 
form, proportion, and construction, that even the pencil 
can convey but a faint idea of the whole. It appeared 
to me like entering a city of giants, who, after a long 
conflict, were all destroyed, leaving the ruins of their 
various temples as the only proofs of their former 
existence. The temple of Luxor presents to the traveller 
at once one of the most splendid groups of Egyptian 
grandeur . . . The unrivalled colossal figures in the 
plains of Thebes, the number of tombs excavated in the 
rocks — those in the great valley of the kings — with 
their paintings, sculptures, mummies, sarcophagi, figures, 
&c. 3 are all objects worthy of the admiration of the tra- 
veller ; who will not fail to wonder how a nation which 
was once so great as to erect these stupendous edifices, 



AMMON-NO. 



343 



could so far fall into oblivion, that even their language 
and writing are totally unknown to us." — Belzoni's 
Travels, pp. 37, 38. 

" We took a view of the Temple of Luxor. Before the 
principal gateway are two immense statues of granite in 
a bad state of preservation. The body of each statue 
is about nine feet in diameter from side to side . . . 
Before the statues are two obelisks . . . The wail is 
standing, about fifty or sixty feet high. From the top 
of it we had a good view of the village. We saw the 
stupendous ruins of this ancient temple ; around it im- 
mense heaps of rubbish ; and in the midst of the ruins 
and rubbish, one hundred and fifty or two hundred mud 
huts. The temple seems to have consisted of two principal 
parts ; one near the gate we have mentioned, and the 
other connected with it by a passage now indicated by 
two rows of columns, seven in a row, each about thirty 
feet in circumference, built of stones four feet thick. 
Beyond these columns are a variety of apartments, the 
walls of which are covered with hieroglyphics ; and 
there are in all not less than one hundred and fifty or 
two hundred columns, of different forms, sizes, and 
heights. In these apartments, without doubt, were 
once offered pagan sacrifices." — Memoirs of theHEV. Pliny 
Fisk, pp. 228, 229. 



TOMBS OF THE KINGS. 

" The tombs of the kings are situated among the 
barren mountains, which skirt Thebes upon the west, 
in a narrow valley where desolation sits enthroned. Not 
a tree or shrub is to be seen ; not a blade of grass or 
herbage ; not even a trace of moss upon the rocks • but 
all is naked and shattered, as if it had been the sport of 
thunders and lightnings and earthquakes ever since the 
creation. The tombs are entered by narrow portals in 
the sides of this valley, from which a corridor usually 
leads by a slight descent to halls and apartments on 



344 



AMMON-NO. 



either side, all decorated with paintings in vivid colours, 
representing scenes drawn from the life of the deceased 
monarch, and from those of the Egyptian deities, — or 
sometimes also from the occupations of common life. 
In this respect these tombs afford the finest illustrations 
of the manners and customs of the ancient Egyptians. 




SARCOPHAGI. 



In the chief apartment is usually a large sarcophagus. 
Here ' the kings of the nations, all of them, lay in 
glory, every one in his own house but ' they have 
been cast out as an abominable branch.' The tombs of 
the priests and private persons are found in the sides of 
the hills adjacent to the city. They are on a smaller 
scale ; but are often decorated with equal skill and 
beauty, with scenes drawn from common life. 



AMMON-NO. 



34-5 



e: Among the tombs of the kings, one has become a 
sort of album for travellers. The names of Burckhardt, 
Belzoni, Irby^and Mangles, and many other travellers, 
are there. All these tombs are entirely exposed to the 
depredations of the Arabs and of travellers; and are 
every year becoming more and more defaced. The tomb 
justly regarded by Wilkinson as by far the most curious 
of all the tombs in Thebes, was occupied at the time 
of our visit by an Arab family with their cattle. The 
walls were already black with smoke, and many of the 
paintings destroyed." — Robinson's Researches. 

" The paintings in the Tombs of the Kings are ex- 
quisitely coloured, and as fresh as if of yesterday. One 
wanders through these marvellous subterranean vaulted 
galleries, scooped in the solid rock, with a feeling ap- 
proaching to incredulity ; it is so hard to believe that 
these brilliant tints and finished designs upon smooth 
stucco, should be as old as the time of Moses, or there- 
abouts : sofas, ottomans, arm-chairs, camp-stools, drawers, 
wash-hand stands, and baskets of all shapes, attract and 
perplex the eye with their variety and elegance of form 
and contrivance . . . The harp and guitar appear to 
have been favourite instruments ; a man ploughing with 
a yoke of oxen, a sower walking behind with a basket, 
and jerking handsful of the seed over his head ; urns of 
all shapes and sizes, admirably formed and adorned with 
foliage of the lotus ; shirts of mail, swords, shields, 
spears, bows, quivers, and so on, to an immense extent, 
and of inexhaustible interest. 

" The approach to the royal tombs through the pass of 
the Beban el Melook, on the western shore of the Nile, 
is through a valley which might well represent that of 
the ' shadow of death' — frightful, silent, scorching ste- 
rility. The entrance is by a square porch, cut in the 
perpendicular face of the rock . . . and here, we believe, 
were deposited in granite sarcophagi, the embalmed 
remains of the Pharaohs of Egypt, — not in damp, dark, 
and mouldering vaults, but in regal halls and gorgeous 



346 



AMMON-NO. 



galleries, destined apparently to be lighted up in all 
their painted pomp, with the blaze of a thousand per- 
fumed torches. Here might the ruling monarch of 
Egypt hold solemn court with his princes and peers, 
around the bones of the last Pharaoh gathered to his 
fathers ; and in the career of perilous power, and pride, 
and pleasure, might perchance listen to a truer and 
sterner voice than a courtier's whispering, ' Learn to die ! ' 

" Besides these regal and lonely cemeteries, one has to 
grope one's way through a necropolis of Theban dead, 
interred some three thousand years ago, in numberless 
excavations (in the rocky hill). These tombs are now 
occupied during the hot season by the families and 
flocks of the neighbouring Arabs. The paintings in 
these catacombs are descriptive of private life." — Nozrani 
in Egypt. 



HOUSE IX THEBES. 
" To-day we heard of a house belonging to the govern- 
ment, which might be had. In the evening we went to 
look at it. In the lower apartments we found some 
Arabs sitting on the ground at supper. There was a 
jackass in the same room. Passing by them, we came 
to the stairs. Three or four of the steps were broken 
down, so as to render it almost impossible to ascend. 
On reaching the top, we found the floor of the rooms 
was made thus : — Beams of the palm-tree supported 
small branches of the same and reeds, and these were 
covered with earth, so that the chamber floors had nearly 
the same appearance as the streets. In the first room, 
the branches, which supported the earth, having given 
way, there were several holes so large that we got over 
them with difficulty : and, on entering another room, 
we found the floor so weak that it shook under our feet, 
and we dared to walk across it only with a very cautious 
step. In this situation our light was extinguished, and 
we had some apprehensions about our return, until an 



SYENE. 



341 



Arab brought us another light. Each room had large 
windows, which were entirely open. The roof was of 
bushes, and had several apertures, some of them large. 
Such was the house offered us in Thebes ; and probably 
it would not have been easy to procure a better." — - 
Memoirs of the Rev. Pliny Fisk, p. 229. 



STENE, (ESSOUAN.) 
SCRIPTURE NOTICE. 

" Behold, therefore, I am against thee, and against 
thy rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt utterly 
waste and desolate, from the tower of Syene even unto 
the border of Ethiopia." — Ezek. xxix. 10; (xxx. 6.) 

" A pleasant sail, with a fine north breeze, brings us 
to Essouan, or Syene, on the fourth day from leaving 
Thebes, from which it may be distant about one hun- 
dred miles. Syene is the southern boundary of Egypt, 
ancient and modern, and was moreover the limit of the 
Roman empire. The prophet Ezekiel denounces deso- 
lation upon Egypt, 'from Migdol to Syene, even unto 
the border of Ethiopia.' 1 The character of the Nile 
scenery now changes ; the river is hemmed in by bold 
rugged masses of granite, and pours its flood in eddying 
rapids through an intricate channel of precipitous cliffs, 
broken islands, and splintered pinnacles of dark slippery 
rock, from whose quarries have been dug the monstrous 
blocks that still astonish the world in the shape of 
Egyptian shafts, statues, and obelisks. The kings rivalled 
each other in the making of these obelisks, which were 
dedicated to the sun, and supposed to represent his beams, 
according to the signification of their name. 

" These prodigious masses of stone, one of which we 
know to have been 125 feet in length, were floated down 
the Nile by rafts at the season of inundation, and the 
1 Marginal reading. 



348 



SYEXE. 



Roman emperors vied with each other in outdoing the 
Egyptians themselves, by transporting these obelisks 
from Thebes, Memphis, and Alexandria, to adorn the 
banks of the Tiber, where several of them now stand. 

" How they contrived to get such a length and breadth 
of granite out of the quarry, without breaking, is not 
yet explained. There now remains a half-cut mass more 
than a hundred feet long, which would apparently require 




TEMPLE OF ISIS. 



all the resources of modern engineering to extricate, 
smoothly and beautifully cut ready for the sculptured 
hieroglyphics, which it was never to receive. One huge 
rock, which might almost be called a mountain of gra- 
nite, was evidently about to be detached from its parent, 
when the work was interrupted." — Nozrani in Egypt. 



349 



ETHIOPIA. 
SCRIPTURE NOTICES. 

" I will make the land of Egypt utterly waste and 
desolate, from the tower of Syene even unto the border 
of Ethiopia." — Ezeh xxix. 10. 

" The sword shall come upon Egypt, and great pain 
shall be in Ethiopia, when the slain shall fall in Egypt ; 
and they shall take away her multitude, and her foun- 
dations shall be broken down." — Ezeh. xxx. 4. (Read 
from ver. 1 — 9.) 

[2 Kings xix. 9. 2 Chron. xiv. 9, 12 ; xxi. 16. Ps. lxviii. 31 ; lxxxvii. 4>. 
Isa. xviii. 1 ; xx. 3—5 ; xliii. 3 ; xlv. 14. Jer. xlvi. 9. Ezek. xxx. 5 ; 
xxxviii. 5. Nah. iii. 9. Zeph. iii. 10. Acts viii. 27.] 



There are two great tracts of country to which the 
name Ethiopia seems to be given in Scripture. The 
one is in Africa, and comprehends all Africa south of 
Egypt, including the modern countries of Nubia, Senaar^ 
Abyssinia, &c. 

Anciently the Ludim, or Lydians, inhabited Abys- 
sinia ; the Pathrusim, the country between that and 
Mizraim, or Egypt ; the Lubim dwelt in Libya, west of 
Egypt, and Phut extended to the Barbary States on the 
coast of the Mediterranean. 

The other, sometimes called Cushite Ethiopia, from 
its having been peopled by the descendants of Cush, 
son of Ham, consists of part of the Arabian peninsula. 
Here we find the names of Dedan, Sheba, Seba, and 
perhaps Midian. It is not always easy to determine to 
which of these vast territories reference is made in the 
Bible. 

Note. It is foretold, in Isa. xx. 4, that the Ethiopians, young and old, 
should be led away captives. The curse of slavery seems to hang over 
Ethiopia, for Captain Baines mentions that he has seen 700 Nubian girls 
exposed for sale at one time in the slave-market of Makallab in Arabia. 
Ethiopia, according to prophecy, has fallen. 



3o0 



ISLAND OF PHIL.E. 




ISLAND OF PHILS. 

" There is no spot in the whole course of the Nile 
which we have traversed, that can be compared in beauty 
with the island of Philae. This ' Sacred Isle' of the 
Egyptians, so called as containing the earthly part of 
their king and favourite divinity, Osiris, is situated just 
above the confines of the first cataract, and beyond its 
rocks and rapids ; it appears as if calmly floating on the 
water, in which its graceful palm trees and ruins are 
reflected. Thus lovely it is as seen from the water ; 
but on landing, the charm is in a great measure broken ; 
for then the accomplishment of the prophecy, that tf the 
pomp of Egypt should be destroyed, and the land made 
desolate unto the border of Ethiopia,' becomes visible. 
Ruin, effected by the hand of man, more terrible and 
unsightly than that brought about by the operations of 
time, stares one in the face all around : and yet sufli- 



TEMPLES OF ISAMBOUL. 



351 



cient remains to show how gloriously beautiful this place 
of pilgrimage must have appeared ere its temples were 
thrown down. The temple of the goddess Isis, wife of 
Osiris, is beautifully painted in blue, green, yellow, 
black, &c. ; and on its walls is sculptured a portrait of 
the wicked but beautiful Cleopatra. An Arab village 
has at some time or other been built around the temple, 
but is now crumbling to dust. ' Ruin upon ruin ! — such 
a wilderness of stones' does the place exhibit, that it 
is difficult and dangerous to scramble amongst them. 
' The idols of Egypt shall be moved.' Isaiah xix. 1." — 
See Mrs. Romer's Pilgrimage. 




TEMPLES OF ISAMBOUL. 

" 1 have just returned from exploring the two temples 
| of Isamboul, those wonderful rock-cut sanctuaries which 

1 I; 



3-52 



TEMPLES OF ISAMBOUL. 



for centuries remained a dead letter to mankind, having 
been so completely buried in the drifting sands of the 
desert, that nothing, save the head of one colossal statue, 
was left uncovered to excite the surmise and curiosity 
of Xile voyagers . . . 

" You can conceive nothing more singular and im- 
pressive than the facade of the great temple of Isam- 
boul. Cut into the solid rock, this temple is not a 
structure, but an excavation ... A large door-way is 
guarded on either side by two colossal statues seated, 
the dimensions of which I shall leave you to judge of 
by telling you, that when I had scrambled up the pre- 
cipitous sandbank to the entrance of the temple, (which 
on the north side is still half buried in bright yellow 
sand,) I sat down to take breath under the vast shadow 
of the last of these colossi, whose head is all that now 
remains above ground \ and where, think you, did I 
shelter myself ? — In its ear ! — which afforded me a cool 
and commodious niche . . . 

" As the numerous chambers of the temple are ex- 
cavated in the rock, into which they penetrate one after 
the other, the first one alone receives light from without . 
. . . The temple is dedicated to Osiris, or Ammon Re, 
the Jupiter of the ancient Egyptians, but the embellish- 
ments are all in honour of Rhamses the Great, during 
whose reign the fane of Isamboul was probably exca- 
vated and adorned. The walls are covered with the 
most spirited sculptured representations of that great 
monarch's war against, and conquest of, some Asiatic 
nation ; the figures are as large as life . . . 

" The entrance of our torchbearers disturbed a colony 
of bats settled in the deserted chambers . . . We had 
reason to know that the temple of Isamboul is the abode 
of serpents also, for in the corner of one of the dark 
lateral chambers, we found the skin cast by one of those 
reptiles there, unbroken, and looking like a silver net- 
work upon the finest gauze. . . . 

" Now then I have, for the first time, been enabled 



TEMPLES OF ISAMBOUL. 353 

! to form a distinct idea of the interior disposition of an 
; Egyptian temple in all its parts ; and if what I have 
just beheld has appeared to me imposing, almost over- 
poweringly grand, in its actual state of ruin and deso- 
lation, how must it have shown when the shrine still 
contained its idols, — when those vast portals, thrown 
open, revealed to the wondering eyes of the multitude 




INTERIOR OF TEMPLE OF ISAMBOUL. 



the interior of the rude rock, cut into chambers ot 
beauty, and glimpses of pictured walls, and processions 
of priests and princes, and gigantic forms looking down 
from their stony pedestals ; and the Holy of Holies, the 
dark sanctuary, with its sculptured gods, wrapped in 
solemn gloom beyond, indistinct and fearful as the mys- 
terious rites enacted there, which filled their votaries' 
breasts with trembling awe ! And, now, what has suc- 
ceeded to all that pomp J Where the deities were en- 
| shrined, the bat has made its foul nest ; and where the 

A A 



354 



TEMPLES OF ISAMBOUL. 



priests of Amnion enrobed themselves, there the serpent 
casts its skin ! Oh, vanity of vanities ! Could the 
seer's prophetic eye have penetrated so far into futurity 
as to behold the actual desolation of Egypt's proud 
fanes, what a subject would they have furnished for that 
saddening text of the preacher — ' All is vanity ! ' " — 
Temples and Tombs of Egypt. 

" Stopped opposite the village of Farras ; we here 
examined the site of a large Nubian city, and amongst 
the modern stone buildings of the Arabs, found several 
remnants of temples, with hieroglyphics . . . Near the 
village are some fragments of temples, consisting of 
several broken pieces of red granite pillars ; also some 
small ones of beautiful white marble. From the ap- 
pearance of these ruins, the fineness of the situation, and 
the rich plain of cultivated land near it, I think this 
must once have been a populous and flourishing city. 

" From the number of temples, and from the fine 
plains of loamy soil, now generally covered with a sur- 
face of sand a foot thick, there is reason to suppose that 
this country was once both populous and flourishing." — 
Irbt and Mangles. 



CHAPTER X. 



RED SEA, AND WILDERNESS OE SINAI. 

Red Sea. — Western Gulf— Suez — Passage of the Red Sea — Wells of 
Moses — Marah — Elim — Encampment of the Israelites by the Red Sea 
— Eeiran, perhaps Paran — Mount Serbal — Plain of Er-Rahah — Mount 
Sinai— Hazeroth — Life in the Desert — Encampment in the Yalley near 
Mount Hor. 

Eastern Gule.— Eziongaber— Elath— Akaba— Island of Graia. 



THE RED SEA AT SUEZ. 



THE RED SEA. 
SCRIPTURE NOTICES. 

" And the Lord turned a might v strong west wind, 
which took away the locusts, and cast them into the 
Red Sea; there remained not one locust in all the coasts 
of Egypt." — Exodus x. 19. 

" But God led the people about, through the way of 
the wilderness of the Red Sea : and the children of 
Israel went up harnessed 1 out of the land of Egypt." — 
Exodus xiii. 18. 



The Red Sea, which separates Arabia from Egypt 
and Ethiopia, is so called from the land of Edom, or 
1 By five in a rank. (Marg.) 



THE RED SEA. 



357 



' Red, which extends to its coasts. It is also called the 
sea of weeds ; perhaps from the quantity of coral grow- 
ing in it. The upper part of the sea is divided into 
j gulfs — now called the Gulfs of Suez and of Akaba, from 
the two principal places near the head of each . The 
gulf of Suez is the one nearest to Egypt, crossed by the 
Israelites ; and the gulf of Akaba was formerly named 
the Elanitic Gulf, from the seaport of Elath, or Ailah, 
j mentioned in Scripture. The eastern gulf (Akaba) is 
! narrower than the western; but it is the same long 
j blue line of water, running up through the midst of a 
j region totally desolate, The mountains are higher and 
more picturesque than those that skirt the gulf of 
j Suez ; and there is not the same extent of wide desert- 
plains along the shores. When the rising sun throws 
his mellow beams upon the transparent waters, and 
lights up the jagged peaks, and masses of rock, the 
scenery, if not beautiful, is in a high degree striking and 
romantic. 

" The beach is of fine polished pebbles, very pretty, 
various -coloured shells, with a quantity of coral inter- 
mixed; the sand, as the tide ebbs, is smooth and hard. 
. . . The narrow arm of the Red Sea, down which we 
are now running rapidly, bears a bad character with 
sailors : its greatest width is not more than twenty 
miles, and seldom much above ten ; rocks, shoals, and 
coral reefs, beset a ship's course on either tack; the 
tide runs rapidly, and the prevailing north wind renders 
the beating up both tedious and dangerous . . . The 
supply of fish is probably inexhaustible . . . The shells 
on the shore are so various and beautiful, that I filled a 
bag half-a-dozen times, only to empty it as often in 
favour of more brilliant candidates for the honour of a 
visit to England."- — Nozrani in Egypt. 



358 



SUEZ. 




SUEZ. 

" The house called an hotel, into which we were 
conducted on landing on the shores of Egypt, was a 
wretched affair ; but quite adequate to afford us neces- 
sary shelter during our brief sojourn at Suez ... I 
went first to the bazar. We found it a narrow street, 
with a row of shops on each side, altogether a more 
respectable place than we expected to see on the edge 
of the desert, filled with abundance of grains, fruits, 
and provisions of various kinds, principally brought 
from the banks of the Nile. We bought a quantity of 
figs, dates, raisins, and nuts ... 

" From Suez, the greatest Egyptian sea-port of the 
Red Sea, there are several routes through the desert."— 
Wilson's Lands of the Bible, 



359 



PASSAGE OE THE RED SEA— "WELLS OE MOSES. 
SCRIPTURE NOTICE. 

" And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea ; and 
the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east 
wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the 
! waters were divided. And the children of Israel went 
into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground : and the 
waters were a wall unto them on their right hand and 
1 on their left. And the Egyptians pursued, and went 
I in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh's 
horses, his chariots, and his horsemen . . . And the 
Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the 
sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyp- 
tians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen. 
And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and 
the sea returned to his strength when the morning ap- 
peared ; and the Egyptians fled against it ■ and the 
Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. 
And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and 
the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came 
into the sea after them : there remained not so much 
as one of them. But the children of Israel walked 
upon dry land in the midst of the sea ; and the 
waters were a wall unto them on their right hand and 
on their left. Thus the Lord saved Israel that day out 
of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the 
Egyptians dead upon the sea-shore." — UxodusxiY. 21 — 
23, 26 — 30: (Read whole chapter, and the next.) 



The most learned travellers have long been divided 
in opinion as to the precise spot at which the Israelites 
crossed the Red Sea. Dr. Robinson and others think 
the passage took place in the immediate vicinity of 



360 



PASSAGE OF THE RED SEA. 



Suez, while another opinion points out the mouth of the 
valley Tawarik, or the front of the promontory of 
'Atakah, as the probable locality. This last view would 
seem most likely to be correct, and is strongly supported 
by a recent and very intelligent traveller, Dr. Wilson. 
The first spot where the Israelites probably encamped 
after their passage, was that which is still called the 
" Wells of Moses." 

" We rode in the clear moonlight to the Wells of 
Moses, where our tents were ready for our reception. 
(Here) we read the song of Moses and of the children of 
Israel, with feelings and emotions such as we had never 
before experienced. 

" (Xext morning), before assembling for breakfast, 
we particularly examined the Wells, in the midst of 
which we were encamped. They rise in mounts elevated 
a little above the level of the neighbourhood, and less 
than a couple of miles inland . . . Only one of them 
appeared to be regularly dug and built . . . The others, 
six in number at present — are nothing more than foun- 
tains rising in small basins formed in the sands . . . 
the supply of water is considerable . . . it is brackish 
. . . but not unfavourable to vegetation, as is evident not 
only from some dozen or score of stunted palms, which 
tolerate a greater degree of salt than any other tree ; 
but from the small patches of cultivation which have 
been enclosed by a fence, and are under the care of a 
Bedawy family, iuhabiting an humble cot or shed lately 
erected. On these patches barley and pot vegetables, 
such as cabbages and melons, are raised ... In all 
probability these springs supplied water to the Israelites 
after their passage of the Red Sea." — See Dr. Wilson's 
Travels. 

" The passage over the Eed Sea occupied but little 
more than half an hour; and our feet were then tread- 
ing the sands of Asia . . . We were now in the wilder- 
ness of Skii7% the desert separating Egypt from Palestine. 
(We mounted our camels immediately,) with the inten- 



WELLS OF MOSES. 361 

tion of reaching Ayun Mousa, the Springs of Moses, as 
the place of our encampment for the night. A ride of 
about three hours and a half brought us to the foun- 
tains, which had been for some time indicated by a few 
wild palm trees, very conspicuous in the distance ; and 
perhaps the accelerated speed, and the outstretched necks 




SPRINGS OF MOSES. 



of the camels, gave us a like intimation • for the camel 
is said to have the faculty of discovering water at a 
considerable distance. 

" Ayun Mousa is indeed a refreshing spot in the 
midst of the desert. The wells are preserved with great 
care. Amidst the clumps of palm-trees and a few 
tamarisks, I found some oleanders, in beautiful blossom, 
— doubly precious to the lover of flowers on account of 
the barren locality in which they spread forth their 
loveliness to greet him. Amidst these tokens of vege- 
table life we found our tents pitched, the fires kindled, 



362 



MARAH. 



and the escort already gathered together in little parties 
for the evening. On our arrival, several of the younger 
Arabs came to meet us ; and one in particular, from 
whom I had received several civilities, gave me a cordial 
sunny smile, and a ' peace be to you and pointing to 
the wells, proposed to lead me to them. I was parched 
and thirsty; so, taking a large cup in my hand, and 
joining my young guide, we went to the wells together. 
I dipped my cup and drank ; but the water had a 
saline flavour, or as if it held in solution a considerable 
quantity of soda. I dipped again, and handed it to 
my companion. He was pleased by the civility, smiled, 
and laid his hand on his heart as he received it. I 
pointed to an oleander in bloom, which was just at 
hand. He instantly gathered two clusters of its beau- 
tiful flowers, and presented them to me. Destitute as 
he was of what we Europeans call cultivation, yet I am 
sure that young Arab had the good taste of a gentleman. 

" I am much inclined to think that Ayun Mousa is 
really the spot on which the feet of rescued Israel rested, 
and from which they beheld their enemies dead on the 
sea-shore. ... I am persuaded . . . that the people of 
Israel entered their pathway through the Red Sea, just 
to the north of Ras Atakah, and that they passed straight 
onward to Ayun Mousa." — Fisk's Pastor's Memorial. 



TLABAH. 
SCRIPTURE NOTICE. 

" And when they came to Marah, they could not 
drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter : 
therefore the name of it was called Marah/' (or bitter- 
ness.) — Exodus xv. 23. 



" We came to the 'Ain Howarah, the i well of de- 
struction/ a fountain on a small knoll close to the track 



M Alt AH. 



363 



which we were pursuing. It occupies a small basin, 
about five feet in diameter, and eighteen inches deep, and 
to some extent it oozes through the sands, leaving, like 
the wells of Moses, a deposit of lime. The Arabs, on 
observing me about to drink of the water, exclaimed, 
' It is bitter, bitter, bitter ! ' 

" This fountain has been almost universally admitted 
by travellers, since the days of Burckhardt, to be the 
true Marah of Scripture, as it is found in a situation 
about thirty miles from the place where the Israelites 
must have landed on the eastern shore of the Red Sea, 
a space sufficient for their march, when they went three 
days in the wilderness and found no water. No other 
constant spring is found in the intermediate space. It 
retains its ancient character, and has a bad name among 
the Arabs, who seldom allow their camels to partake 
of it." — Dr. Wilson. 

The following is the account of another recent tra- 
veller : — "Some of our Arabs pointed to a distant clump 
or two of stunted palms, as marking the locality of Bir 
Howarah, which has been almost unanimously agreed 
upon by travellers as the bitter waters of Marah, of 
which the people of Israel could not drink. We soon 
arrived at the wells, which are small, and lie embedded 
as it were in a low sandhill . . . Certainly it was not 
such water as I should be willing to drink, except I 
were fainting with thirst, and deprived of all other. 
Though not so disagreeable at first, yet it leaves a soapy 
flavour in the mouth. Surely none but those who have 
thirsted in the desert, have learnt to prize, as they 
ought, the real blessing of good water. It is with this, 
as with most of the ordinary bounties of God ; they are 
little esteemed, and awaken, too generally, but slight 
returns of gratitude, because they are so common," 



364 



ELIM. 
SCRIPTURE NOTICE. 

" And they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of 
water, and threescore and ten palm-trees : and they 
encamped there by the waters." — Exodus xv. 27: 
(Xumb. xxxiii. 9.) 



" About five miles from the 'Ain Howarah, we came 
to the Yalley Gharandel, which is commonly supposed 
to be the Elin of Scripture. It is somewhat precipitous 
on its banks ; and a good many rounded stones and 
beds of sand are visible throughout its course (resembling 
the dry bed of a river). It nourishes a great many 
bushes and trees, as well as herbs. Of these, brooms, 
and tamarisks, and stunted palms, were the most con- 
spicuous." — Wilson's Lands of the Bible. 

Dr. Wilson, however, prefers regarding the next large 
valley he arrived at, as the Elim of the Bible. u About 
five or six miles from Gharandel, we pitched our tents 
for the night in the Valley Waseit, or Useit. Here we 
found a considerable number of palm-trees, and tolerable 
water to any extent that we chose to dig for it in the 
sands . . . We counted the palms in the neighbourhood 
of our tents, and found thirty in the form of trees, more 
or less thriving, and twenty in the form of bushes or 
stumps. Each of us cut a branch or two as a memorial 
of our visit. ' But where,' asked some of our party, 'are 
the twelve wells of water, near which the Israelites 
encamped V Only one small part was exposed to our 
view. By digging into the sands, we found that others 
could easily be called into existence . . . The twelve 
wells of water are merely twelve fountains of water, as 
the reading is in Numbers xxxiii. 9, and were probably 
merely such springs, then open, as are here to be 
obtained at present by digging. The mountain and 



ELIM. 



365 



rock scenery around us was here so peculiar ^ and 
romantic, that we had a view of it taken by our artist." 




WADI WASEIT. 



" After spending a quarter of an hour at Bir 
Howarah," writes another traveller, u we remounted and 
pursued our course over a rugged and broken plain, 
sometimes intersected with low hills and harsh preci- 
pices, in which the savageness of the wilderness began 
to be apparent ; when at length, about eight o'clock, 
by the light of. a lovely moon, we entered Wady 
Grhurandel, a gracefully undulated sanely territory, 
scattered over with thick clumps of the tamarisk-tree 
and small palms, which gave it the appearance of an 
ornamental plantation. The effect of this was indeed 
delightful, after the scene through which we had passed 
before sunset. When we were encamped, the Arabs 
took the camels and water-skins to a spot about an hour 



366 



ENCAMPMENT BY THE RED SEA. 



distant from the direct route, in order to get a supply of 
water, of which there is usually plenty, and of a tolerable 
quality. The water brought from Ayun Mousa had 
become offensive, and we longed for a change. The 
spot to which the Arabs went for water, is now, I believe, 
generally agreed upon as the Elim of Scripture, where, at 
the time of the Exodus of Israel, there were twelve wells 
of water, and threescore and ten palm-trees, by which 
they encamped." Burckhardt says, " The non-existence 
of twelve wells at Ghurandel, must not be considered as 
evidence against the foregoing conjecture, for Niebuhr 
says that his companions obtained water here by digging 
to a very great depth, and there was a great plenty of it 
when I passed ; water, in fact, is readily found by digging 
in every fertile valley of Arabia, and wells are thus 
easily formed, which are as quickly rilled up again by 
the sands. Quitting Wady Ghurandel, we entered 
upon the wilderness of Sin, which Moses describes as 
lying between Elim and Sinai." 



ENCAMPMENT BY THE RED SEA— WILDERNESS OF SIN. 
SCRIPTURE NOTICE. 

" Axd they removed from Elim, and encamped by the 
Red Sea. And they removed from the Red Sea, and 
encamped in the Wilderness of Sin." — Numh. xxxiiL 
10, 11. 



At a day's march from Elim, the Israelites must 
have reached the valley Et-Taiyibeh, which conducts to 
the shores of the Red Sea, where they had their first 
station after leaving Elim, as we are told in the book of 
Numbers. This valley passes between abrupt rocks, and 
has some small pits of stagnant water. The view which 
suddenly bursts upon the traveller emerging from the 
valley on to the sea-shore is interesting and magnificent. 



WILDERNESS OF SIN, 



367 



A sandy plain, with many shrubs, leads him southward 
along the shore to an extensive triangular plain, called 
" The Valley of Ease," in which is a bitter fountain, the 
principal watering-place of the Arabs (after Elim) on this 
road. 

Dr. Robinson considers that it was at the mouth of 
the valley that the Israelites encamped, and that from 
thence they journeyed towards the great desert plain, 
which he regards as the commencement of the Desert of 
Sin, and as the next station mentioned in Scripture. 
Dr. Wilson, on the other hand, supposes that they 
marched straight forward to the " Yalley of Ease," and 
there had their " encampment by the Red Sea." 

However this may be, it is evident that along the 
rocky valley, and along the sandy shore, and into this 
spacious plain, the people of the Lord journeyed : a cir- 
cumstance sufficient to render a description of them 
very interesting to the Bible reader. 

"We were all much struck with the indirect, but 
remarkable coincidence of Holy Scripture with the topo- 
graphy of this day's march. No person but a writer 
well acquainted with the geography of these parts would, 
like Moses, have brought the Israelites again upon the 
Red Sea by a line of march so devious, but so necessary 
on account of the mountains and valleys, as that which 
we have to-day pursued." — See Robinson's Researches , 
and Wilson's Lands of the Bible. 



3G8 



PA RAN. 




ENTRANCE TO WADY FEIB.AN. 



PAR AN. 
SCRIPTURE NOTICES. 

" The cloud rested in the wilderness of Paran." — 
Numh. x. 12. 

" God came from Teman, and the Holy One from 
Mount Paran . . . His glory covered the heavens, and the 
earth was full of his praise." — Hah. iii. 3. 



WADY nXRAX. 
"We commenced our journey through the Valley 
Feiran, with the majestic Serbal, with its five lofty peaks, 
straight before us, as an expected resting-place for the 
night. (After travelling some distance through the 
sandy part of the valley, with but little vegetation.) the 
plants and bushes increased in number, and (at length) 



PARAN. 369 

we came upon the first of the date-trees for which Wadi 
Feiran is celebrated. They occur at a place where there 
are a few huts, and some gardens and fields watered from 
a deep well. We got an Arab damsel to draw us some 
water, which we found to be both pure and cool, and a 
great luxury. The view of the rocks and hills, on each 
side of the valley here, was most picturesque . . . This 
place, however, is only an out-field of the Paradise of the 
| Bedawin, as Wadi Feiran has been called." 

Burckhardt writes of this valley, " It is considered the 
'! finest in the whole peninsula . . . An uninterrupted row 
I of gardens and date plantations extend ... for four 
miles. In almost every garden is a well, by means of 
which the grounds are watered the whole year round . . . 
i Among the date trees are small huts, where reside the 
Arabs who serve as gardeners to the Bedouins, who 
own the ground. They take one-third of the fruit 
for their labour. The owners seldom visit the place, 
except in the date harvest, when the valley is filled with 
people for a month or six weeks ; at that season they 
erect huts of palm branches, and pass their time in 
receiving visits, and treating their guests with dates . . . 
The Nebek (Rhamnus Lotus), the fruit of which is a 
favourite food of the Bedouins, grows also in considerable 
quantity at Wady Feiran. These Arabs are very 
poor . . . their only profitable branch of culture is 
tobacco, of which they raise considerable quantities . . . 
the other vegetable productions of the valley are cucum- 
bers, gourds, melons, hemp, onions, and a few carob- 
trees. The narrowness of the valley of Feiran, the high 
mountains on each side, and the thick woods of date- 
trees, render the heat extremely oppressive ; in spring 
and summer dangerous fevers reign here. Where the 
valley widens, and becomes more open, it is probably 
healthy." 

Travellers are divided in opinion as to whether this fine 
valley, and the " majestic and gigantic " Mount Serbal, do, 
or do not, represent the Paran (or part of it), frequently 

B B 



370 



PARAX. 



alluded to in Scripture, and the Mount Favan mentioned 
in the sublime poetry of Habakkuk (iii. 3 7). 




Dr. Wilson spent a Sunday in this favoured spot in the 
midst of the desert, "The rest of the Sabbath " he 
writes, "is always welcome to the warworn traveller- 
but, m a place so sublime and beautiful in its natural 
scenery, and so interesting in its associations, as Wady 
ieiran, it is peculiarly precious. This we felt, when 
encamped under the shadow of the majestic and gigantic 
verbal and m the lovely valley in which the Christianity 
ot the desert found a refuge in its earlv ao- es " (There 
was formerly a town and bishopric at this spot ) 



MOUNT HOREB WILDERNESS OF SINAI. 371 




WILDERNESS OF MOUNT SINAI. 



MOUNT HOREB, OR SINAI — WILDERNESS OE SINAI. 
SCRIPTURE NOTICES. 

"Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro, his father-in- 
law . . . and he led the flock to the back side of the desert, 
and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. And 
the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of 
fire, out of the midst of a bush." — Exodus iii. 1, 2. 

" Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock 
in Horeb ; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there 
shall come water out of it, that the people may drink." — 
Exodus xvii. 6. 

cc They . . . were come to the desert of Sinai, and had 
pitched in the wilderness ; and there Israel camped before 
the Mount . . . And Mount Sinai was altogether on a 
smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire : and 



372 



MOUNT HOREB WILDERNESS OF SINAI. 



the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, 
and the whole mount quaked greatly . . . and the Lord 
came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mount : 
and the Lord called Moses up to the top of the mount ; 
and Moses went up." — Exodus xix. 2, 18, 20. 

" And the glory of the Lord abode upon Mount Sinai 
. . . And Moses was in the mount forty days and forty 
nights." — Exodus xxiv. 16, 18 ; xxxi. 18 ; xxxiii. 6 ; 
xxxiv. 29 \ Deut, iv. 15 ; 2 Chron. v. 10. 

" The Lord our God made a covenant with us in 
Horeb."— Deut. v. 2. 

" Also in Horeb ye provoked the Lord to wrath, so 
that the Lord was angry with you, to have destroyed 
you." — Deut. ix. 8. 

u The Lord came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir 
unto them ; he shined' forth from Mount Paran, and he 
came with ten thousands of saints ; from his right hand 
went a fiery law for them." — Deut. xxxiii. 2. 

"The mountains melted from before the Lord, even 
that Sinai from before the Lord God of Israel." — Judges 
v. o ; Ps. lxviii. 8, 17. 

"And (Elijah) arose, and did eat and drink, and went 
in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights, 
unto Horeb, the mount of God." — 1 Kings xix. 8, 

" They made a calf in Horeb, and worshipped the 
molten image." — Pscdm cvi. 19. 

"... These are the two covenants, the one from the 
Mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage." — Gal. iv. 24. 



" On a sudden, a broad quadrangular plain, but of 
much greater length than breadth, lay before us. It is 
bounded at its farthest extremity by a mountain of 
surpassing height, grandeur, and terror ; and this was 
the very 6 Mount of God,' where he stood when he 
descended in fire, and where rested the cloud of his 
glory, from which he spake ' all the words of the law.' 
The plain itself was the TVadi er Eahah, the Valley of 



MOUNT HOREB — WILDERNESS OE SINAI. 373 

Rest, where stood the whole congregation of the sons and 
daughters of Israel, when gathered together before the 
Lord. As of old, the everlasting mountains, by which it 
was bounded on every side, were the walls, and the 



! 




MOUNT SINAI, FROM ER RAH AH. 



expanse of heaven itself the canopy, of this great temple. 
Entered within its court, so sacred in its associations, we 
felt for a time the curiosity of the traveller lost in the 
reverence and awe of the worshipper. We walked 
through the valley of Rahah, occasionally stopping to 
survey the interesting scene around us. 

" The mountain is of deep red granite. It rises from 
the plain almost perpendicularly, about 1,500 feet. 
From the monks it receives the name of Horeb. The 
Mount of Moses (Jebel Miisa) was not visible. It is not, 
however, it is to be observed,' a distinct mountain, but 
only the highest peak of this one, at the part most remote 
from the valley. As we approached Horeb, we saw 



374: MOUNT HOREB — WILDERNESS OE SINAI. 

Mount Catherine, its twin sister, outpeering it, to the 
right, but owing to its position, which is somewhat aside 
from the valley, by no means so commanding or imposing. 
Rounding the eastern corner of Horeb ... we had a 




STONE OF MOSES. 

narrow defile before us, called ' The valley of Jethro,' . . 
in which, at the distance of about three quarters of a 
mile, we saw the convent, a little fort, for such it really 
is, in which we were to seek for shelter . . . with its 
beautiful gardens . . . The monks readily responded to 
our call from below ; and threw us a rope with a loop at 
its extremity, by which, turning a windlass, and assisted 
by an Arab, they hoisted us in succession to the project- 
ing window from which they had espied us from above. 
We did not much dangle in the air as we went aloft, for 
some thirty feet ; and a helping hand caught us as a bale 
of goods, and safely landed us in the company of our new 
friends . . . They conducted us to the strangers' apart- 
ments . . . which looked into the principal quadrangle 
of the convent, where we could watch the motions of its 
inmates ; and though not large, they were clean and 



MOUNT HOREB WILDERNESS OF SINAI. 375 



comfortable, covered with pieces of mat and carpet, and 
having divans round them, on which we could sit by day, 
and recline by night. A piece of table, and a few antique 
chairs, were given to us to increase our luxuries. The 




SUMMIT OP SIN A I. 



former was speedily covered, and a comfortable dinner 
was set before us. ... In the evening we went to the 
garden, which we entered by a long, dark and^ low 
passage, secured by strong gates at both its extremities. 
The garden is beautiful, and the sight of culture in the 
Region of Desolation itself is quite refreshing. Horeb, 
in Hebrew, means, ' dry, desert, and desolation.' The soil, 
which must have been accumulated with prodigious labour, 
is exceedingly rich. Considerable crops of vegetables are 
raised upon it . . . the fig-tree was there, the pomegranate 
had budded, and the vine was about to flourish. The 
tall cypress stood upright in its dark perennial green. 



376 MOUNT HOREB WILDERNESS OF SINAI. 



The almond, the most abundant of all, was in its fullest 
blossom, the emblem, 1 in its spring, of the hoary locks of 
man in the winter of his age." — Wilson's Lands of the 
Bible. 

" I made the ascent of Mount Sinai ... as to the pre- 
cise pinnacle of the Sinaite group from which the law was 
given to Moses, I must frankly confess that it would be 
only a choice of conjectures or a balance of probabilities. 
That it was indeed the Sinaite group which invited my 
footsteps, there could be no doubt. Not a particle was 
there of this wilderness of granite that had not quaked at 
the mysterious and awful presence of Jehovah : not one of 
its numberless clefts and caverns, in which was not heard 
and echoed the voice of the trumpet which sounded long 
and waxed louder and louder. And was there not 
enough ... in this certainty 1 . . . Scripture withholds 
all but the general certainty to which I have referred . . . 
I retired — still gazing on the venerable and solemn 
scene, and read, with a humbled heart, the law as 
written by the finger of God, upon the two tables of 
stone. 

" Lord, write thy law on my heart, with the finger of 
thy Spirit !" — Fisk's Pastors Memorial. 

1 Eccles. xii. 5. 



HAZEROTH. 



377 




INSCRIPTIONS ON ROCKS. 



HAZEROTH. 
SCRIPTURE NOTICE. 

"They. . . encamped at Hazeroth." — Numb, xxxiii. 17; 
xi. 35. 



"We came into a large valley, or rather plateau, 
called Hadharah, where we pitched our tents for the 
night." The centre peak of Serbal was here distinctly 
seen. This great plain or valley extends for upwards 
of thirty miles . . . The name, accurately written in 
Arabic, exactly agrees with the Hebrew Hazeroth. 
"I have not the slightest doubt," writes Dr. Wilson, 
"that in some part of this valley was the station of 
the Israelites, mentioned in Numbers." After some 
further wanderings, and crossing the valley Arabah, 



378 HAZEROTH. 

which is the continuation of the valley of the Jordan. 
Dr. TTilson and his companions pitched their tent in 
" the valley which leads up to the flanks of Mount Hor, 
and alongside of thence to Petra, the wonderful and 
mysterious Selah, or city of the rock, which we had come 
so far through the great and terrible wilderness to 
inspect. As soon as we were able, we took out our Bibles, 
and read Xumb. xx. This portion of the divine word 
carried us back, with melancholy interest, to the times 
when Israel vainly demanded of his brother Esau a way 
through his territory \ and when the consecrated brother 
of Moses died upon the top of that very mount, the 
summits of which the sun, sinking in the western 
wastes, in the ocean of desolation over which we had 
passed, was still gilding with subdued radiance." — See 
Dr. Wilson's Lands of the Bible. 



LIFE IN THE DESEET. 379 




WILD PALM. 



LIEE IN THE DESERT. 

" I have now become quite in love with our desert 
life, notwithstanding the exposure and fatigue which 
are inseparable from our movements. (Our faithful 
African servant) is sure to have a cup of coffee ready 
for us, before we can leave our sandy couch . . . The 
Arabs began to stir and chatter around us. Their first 
concern is their camels, which they recall from their 
wanderings ... A piece of bread generally serves these 
simple and hardy people for their morning meal ; and 
they make all due haste in its mastication, that they 



380 



EASTERN GULF, ETC. 



may have a little time to luxuriate among the fumes of 
the pipe, which they consider indispensable to their 
existence . . . We have become quite reconciled to rolling 
and pitching on our lofty conveyancers, the camels, (and) 
can write, and even rudely sketch with our pencils 
(while riding on them.") — Dr. Wilson. 




AKABA. 



EASTERN GULE— EZIOX-GABER— ELATH— AKABA- 
ISLAKD OE GKAIA. 

SCRIPTURE NOTICES. 

"(They) encamped at Ezion-gaber." — Nam. xxxiii. 3-5. 

" King Solomon made a navy of ships in Ezion-geber, 
which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red Sea, in 
the land of Edom." — 1 Kings ix. 26. 

" The ships were broken at Ezion-geber." — 1 Kings 
xxii. 48. 



EASTERN GULF, ETC. 



381 



" (Azariah) built Elath, and restored it to Judah." — 
2 Kings xiv. 22 . 

[Dent. ii. 8 ; 2 Kings xvi. 6. ; 2 Chron. viii. 17 ; xx. 36.] 

In very ancient times, there lay at this extremity 
of the Eastern Gulf of the Eed Sea, two towns of note 
in Scripture history, Ezion-geber and Elath. The 
former is mentioned first, as a station of the Israelites, 
and both towns are again named after they had left 
Mount Hor, as the point where they turned eastward 
from the Eed Sea in order to pass around on the eastern 
side of the land of Edom. That they were near each 
other is also said expressly in another place. 

Ezion-geber became famous as the port where 
Solomon, and after him Jehoshaphat, built fleets to carry 
on a commerce with Ophir. No trace of it seems now 
to remain, unless it be in the name of a small valley 
some distance north of Akabah. 

Elath, called also Ailah by the Greeks and Romans, 
appears to have supplanted by degrees its less fortunate 
neighbour ; perhaps after having been rebuilt by 
Azariah, (Uzziah) 800 years, B.C. Some fifty years 
later it was taken from the Jews by Eezin, king of 
Syria, and never came again into their possession. 

In the days of Jerome it was still a place of trade 
to Iudia, and a Eoman legion was stationed here. Ailah 
became early the seat of a Christian Church, and we have 
the names of four bishops of Ailah in Church history. 

In a.d. 630 it submitted to the arms of Mahomet, 
and from this time onward, became shrouded in 
Mahommedan darkness. 

Before a.d. 1300, it was deserted; for Abulfeda ex- 
pressly writes of Ailah, " In our day it is a fortress, to 
which a governor is sent from Egypt. It had a small 
castle in the sea ; but this is now abandoned, and the 
governor removed to the fortress on the shore." Such as 
Ailah was in the days of Abulfeda, is Akabah now. 
Mounds of rubbish alone mark the site of the town ; 
while a fortress, occupied by a governor and a small 



382 



EASTERN GULF. ETC. 



garrison under the pasha of Egypt, serves to keep the 
neighbouring tribes of the desert in awe. 

The modern name Akabak, signifies a descent or steep 
declivity, and is derived from the long and difficult 
descent from the western mountain. Ailah, or Akabak, 
has always been an important station upon the route of 
the great caravan of pilgrims which annually leaves 
Cairo for Mecca. 

" Extensive mounds of rubbish . . .mark the site of the 
Elath of Scripture. They present nothing of interest, 
except as indicating that a very ancient city has here 
utterly perished ■ we did not learn that they have now 
a name. 

" We reached the castle (of Akabah,) and entered the 
huge portal from the north-west, through strong and 
massive doors heavily cased with iron . . . All around 
the (castle) wall, on the inside, is a row of chambers or 
magazines one story high, with a solid flat roof, forming 
a platform around the interior of the castle. On this 
platform are erected, in several parts, temporary huts 
or chambers, covered with the stalks of palm leaves, and 
occupied apparently by the garrison as dwellings . . . 

" We spread our beds in a room having coarse gratings 
for windows, but no glass. Here our luggage was 
deposited • the walls of the room were of stone, and the 
floor of earth. Scorpions are said to be in plenty here ; 
they are caught by cats, of which there are great numbers 
in the castle." — See Robixsox's Researches. 

" The little fortress of Akaba is seldom visited by 
travellers, and is worth a brief description. It stands at 
the extremity of the eastern branch of the Red Sea, at 
the foot of the sandstone mountains, near the shore, and 
almost buried in a grove of palm-trees, the only living 
things in that region of barren sands. It is the last 
stopping-place of the caravan of pilgrims on its way to 
Mecca, being yet thirty days' journey from the tomb of 
the prophet, and, of course, the first at which they touch 
on their return. This was the Ezion-geber of the Bible, 
where 3,000 years ago, King Solomon made a navy of 



EASTERN GULF, ETC. 



383 



ships, which brought from Ophir gold and precious stones 
for the great temple at Jerusalem ; and again, at a later 
day, a great city existed here, through which, at this 
distant point in the wilderness, the wealth of India was 
conveyed to Rome. But all these are gone, and there 
are no relics or monuments to tell of former greatness ; 
like the ships which once floated in the harbour, all 
have passed away." — Incidents of Travel. 

" It was charming after the fatigue of the morning 
march, to bathe in those sparkling waves, beneath which 
multitudes of coral groves were distinctly visible. 

" Soon after commencing the afternoon march, our 
eyes were fixed upon what appeared like a narrow strip 
of land studded with palm-trees, on the eastern side of 
the Red Sea ; but yet so distant as to be very indistinct, 
though the sun was brightly bearing down upon it. 
This was Akabah — the point of our destination. At 
length, after having passed (two valleys) scattered over 
with palm-trees, and others bearing a curious shelled 
fruit called Dom, of which the Arabs eat freely, we 
came to the head of the gulf; and immediately before 
us lay the palm groves of Akabah. Darkness overtook 
us before we reached them, and it was one of the most 
picturesque things I ever witnessed, to see great numbers 
of bivouac fires quickly lighted in various parts of the 
groves, around which were gathered large parties of the 
desert inhabitants, with their wild features and costume 
brilliantly illuminated. Akabah is quite a place of resort 
for all tribes and travellers passing on either of the routes 
— east, west, north, or south. The groves afford them a 
temporary home. Akabah was literally swarming with 
Arabs. In the midst of the palm groves is the little 
fortress of Akabah, in which is placed a Turkish governor 
— with a small body of irregular and ragged soldiery 
. . . (We had) our tents pitched under the walls, so as to 
occupy a nice shady spot on the very brink of the gulf 
of Akabah, commanding the loveliest mountain scenery 
imaginable. At present, besides the little fortress, 
Akabah contains only a few rude habitations of the most 



384 



EASTERN GULF, ETC. 



wretched kind — a dreary contrast to its former greatness, 
when Solomon sent from thence his ships to Ophir, and 
there constructed his vessels . . . On the morning after 
our arrival, (June 1st,) the scene which presented itself 
at the tent door was very charming. The tall palm- 
trees above us formed a delightful shade, while full in 
front lay the gulf, with its deep blue waters sparkling 
in the early sunlight, and rippling to its margin within 
a few yards of us . . . (Here and there was to be seen) a 
fisherman astride on the trunk of a palm-tree for a boat, 
plying the only occupation of the resident Arabs ; while 
scores of little sunburnt children were sporting in the 
shallow waters at the margin, dashing along and shout- 
ing with wild joy. There are several varieties of excellent 
fish to be found in the Red Sea, one of which, called by 
the Arabs Xazari, that is, the Christian, is peculiarly 
delicious. It grows to a large size, is of a fine crimson 
and vermilion colour, and its flesh something like that of 
the turbot. We had a fine specimen of it on our table." 
— Fisk's Pastors Memorial. 



ISLAND OP GEAIA. 

" We again hailed the bright waters of the Red Sea, 
and pitched for the midday rest on a charming smooth 
sandy beach, just opposite the little island of Graia. 
This little island, on which there are yet the remains of 
bold fortifications, served from an early period as a de- 
fence of the fort of Elath, against tribes whom it was 
always difficult to subdue. (It was afterwards famous in 
the time of the Crusades). The island of Graia is a 
solitary rock in the Red Sea. A long embattled wall, 
interrupted at intervals by high towers, runs all round 
the higher part of the island. 

" We had still to make an expedition to the isle of 
Graia. The camels were therefore loaded, and we set out 
with a store of bread, intending to breakfast in the 
neighbourhood of the gulf where we had found the 



EASTERN GULF, ETC. 385 

oysters. I observed upon its shore different species of 
shells such as I had never met with elsewhere. (We went) 
to the valley opposite the island, and found there undis- 
turbed some palm-trees which we had already collected 




GBAIA. 

for the construction of a raft. We added to them branches 
which we had gathered in Wady Taba, and bound the 
whole together with strong cords. Palm branches which 
we had cut off close to the tree served us for oars. 
After leaving the beach, the rocks which abound on the 
coast cease so suddenly, that notwithstanding the crystal 
clearness of the water, the bottom cannot be seen. No 
European has visited this island since the time of the 
Crusades : neither had any of the natives set foot on it ; 
unless, indeed, a fisherman, having nothing else to do, 
might have been tempted to such an enterprise by the hope 
of finding treasure there. Our voyage was not wholly free 
from danger, — we all assisted however in guiding our 
frail skiff, and were careful to maintain its balance . . . 
We landed . . . (and made our way as well as we could 

I amongst the ruins)." — Laborde. 

I c c 



CHAPTER XI. 



EDOM, OR EDTJMEA. 

Mons'T Hon— Ascent of the Mountain— Desolate Prospect from the Sum- 
mit — Tomb of Aaron. 

Edom (Arabia Petrsea)— Historical Notices— Approach to Petra— TVady 
Mousa, or Valley of Moses— The Syk — General View of Petra— The 
Khasne— El Deir— The Theatre— Glen in TVady Mousa— Luxuriant Vege- 
tation — Remarkable Colouring of the Hocks — Fulfilments of Prophecy. 

Maxm*. 

Bozrah or Edom. 
The Arabs. 
The Recharites. 




RANGF, OF MOUNT HOR. 



MOUNT HOE. 

ASCENT OE THE MOUNTAIN" — DESOLATE PROSPECT EROM THE SUMMIT 
TOMB OE AARON. 

SCRIPTURE NOTICE. 

" And the children of Israel, even the whole congre- 
gation, j ourneyed from Kadesh, and came unto Mount 
Hot. And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in 
Mount Hor, by the coast of the land of Udom, saying, 
Aaron shall be gathered unto his people . . . Take Aaron 
and Eleazar his son, and bring them up unto Mount 
Hor; and strip Aaron of his garments, and put them 
upon Eleazar his son : and Aaron shall be gathered unto 
his people, and shall die there. And . . . they went up 
into Mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation . . . 
and Aaron died there in the top of the Mount."— Numb. 
xx. 22—28. (See also ch. xxi. 4. xxxiii. 37—39. Deut. 
| xxxii. 50.) 



i 



388 



MOUNT HOR. 



" . . . . The mountain was high, towering above all the 
rest, bare and rugged to its very summit, without a 
tree or even a bush growing on its sterile side ; and our 
road lay directly along its base. For some distance we 
found the ascent sufficiently smooth and easy, much 
more so than that of Mount Sinai, — and so far as we 
could see before us, it was likely to continue the same 
all the way up. We were congratulating ourselves, when 
we came to a yawning and precipitous chasm, opening 
its horrid jaws almost from the very base of the mountain. 
From the distance at which we had marked out our 
route, the irregularities of surface could not be distin- 
guished, but here it was quite another thing. We stood 
on the brink of the chasm and looked at each other in 
blank amazement \ looking down into its deep abyss, 
as soon as we saw there was no probability of getting 
over it, we began to descend ; and groping, sliding, 
jumping and holding on with hands and feet, we reached 
the bottom — and after another hard half-hour's toil, 
were resting our wearied limbs upon the opposite brink, 
at about the same elevation as that of the place from 
which we had started. This success encouraged us ; 
and looking up, we saw through a small opening before 
us, though still at a great distance, the white dome that 
covered the tomb of the first high-priest of Israel. 

"Again, with stout hearts we resumed our ascent; but, 
as we might reasonably have supposed, that which we 
had passed was not the only chasm in the mountains. 
What had appeared to us slight irregularities of surface 
we found great fissures and openings, presenting them- 
selves before us in quick succession ; not, indeed, as 
absolute and insurmountable barriers to farther progress, 
but affording us only the encouragement of a bare pro- 
bability of crossing them. The whole mountain, from its 
base to its summit, was rocky and naked, affording not 
a tree or bush to assist us ; and all that we had to lay 
hold on by were the rough and broken corners of the 
porous sandstone rocks, which crumbled in our hands, and 



MOUNT HOR. 



389 



under our feet, and more than once put us in danger of 
our lives. Several times after desperate exertion, we 
sat down perfectly discouraged at seeing another and 
another chasm before us, and more than once we were 
on the point of giving up the attempt, thinking it 
impossible to advance any farther ; but we had come so 
far, and taken so little notice of our road, that it was 
almost as impossible to return • and a distant and acci- 
dental view of the whitened dome would revive our 
courage, and stimulate us to another effort. 

" Several times I mounted on Paul's shoulders, and 
with his help reached the top of a precipitous or over- 
hanging rock ; and then helped him in turn ; and in the 
rough grasps that we gave each other, neither thought 
of the relation of master and servant. On the sides of 
that rugged mountain, so desolate, so completely re- 
moved from the world, whose difficult ascent had been 
attempted by few human footsteps since the days when 
6 Moses and Aaron went up in the sight of all the con- 
gregation,' the master and the man lay on the same 
rock, encountering the same fatigues and dangers, and 
inspired by the same hopes and fears. After the most 
arduous scramble I ever accomplished, we attained the 
bald and hoary summit of the mountain ; and before we 
had time to look around, at the extreme end of the 
desolate valley of El Ghor, our attention was instantly 
attracted and engrossed by one of the most interesting 
objects in the world, and we exclaimed at the same 
moment ' The Dead Sea !' Lying between the barren 
mountains of Arabia and Judah, presenting to us from 
that height no more than a small, calm, and silvery sur- 
face, was that mysterious sea which rolled its dark 
waters over the guilty cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, 
constantly receiving into its greedy bosom the whole 
body of the Jordan, but, unlike all other water, sending 
forth no tribute to the ocean. 

" If I had never stood on the top of mount Sinai, 
I should say that nothing could exceed the desolation of 



390 



MOUNT HOR. 



the view from the summit of mount Hor, its most 
striking objects being the dreary and rugged mouD tains 
of Seir, bare and naked of trees and verdure, and heav- 
ing their lofty summits to the skies, as if in a vain and 
fruitless effort to excel the mighty pile, on the top of 
which the high priest of Israel was buried. Before me 
was a land of barrenness and ruin ; a land accursed of 
God, and against which the prophets had set their faces ; 
the land of which it is thus written in the book of life : 
' Moreover, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 
Son of Man, set thy face against mount Seir, and 
prophesy against it, and say unto it, Thus saith the 
Lord God . . . Because thou hast had a perpetual 
hatred, and hast shed the blood of the children of 
Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their 
calamity, in the time that their iniquity had an end : 
therefore, as I live, saith the Lord God, I will prepare 
thee unto blood, and blood shall pursue thee ; sith thou 
hast not hated blood, even blood shall pursue thee. 
Thus will I make mount Seir most desolate, and cut off 
from it him that passeth out and him that returneth. 
And I will fill his mountains with his slain men : in 
thy hills, and in thy valleys, and in all thy rivers shall 
they fall that are slain with the sword. I will make 
thee perpetual desolations, and thy cities shall not 
return, and ye shall know that I am the Lord.' " — (Bead 
EzeJc. xxxv.) 

" On the very top of the mount, reverenced alike by 
Mussulmans and Christians, is the tomb of Aaron. The 
building is about thirty feet square, containing a single 
chamber ; in front of the door is a tombstone, in form 
like the oblong slabs in our churchyards, but larger 
and higher • the top rather larger than the bottom, and 
covered with a ragged pall of faded red cotton in shreds 
and patches. At its head stood a high round stone, on 
which the Mussulman offers his sacrifices . . . After 
going out, and from the very top of the tomb surveying 
again and again the desolate and dreary scene that 



MOUNT HOE. 391 

presented itself on every side, always terminating with 
the distant view of the Dead Sea, I returned within ; 
and examining once more the tomb and the altar, walked 
carefully round the chamber. There was no light but 




MOUNT HOR. 



what came from the door j and, in groping in the ex- 
treme corner on one side, my foot descended into an 
aperture in the floor. I put it down carefully, and 
found a step; then another, and another, evidently a 
staircase leading to a chamber below. All was dark 
and I called to Paul to strike a light. He had no 
materials with him ... A pile of dry brush and cotton 
rags lay at the foot of the sacrificial altar, I fired my 
pistol into it, gave one puff, and the whole mass was in 
a blaze. Each seized a burning brand, and we descended. 
At the foot of the steps was a narrow chamber, at the 
other end an iron grating, opening in the middle, and 



392 



MOUNT HOE. 



behind the grating a tomb cut in the naked rock, and 
reverenced as the tomb of Aaron . . . The rocks and 
mountains were echoing the discharge of my pistol, like 
peals of crashing thunder. Suddenly I heard from the 
foot of the mountain a quick and irregular discharge of 
fire-arms, which again resounded in loud echoes through 
the mountains. It was far from my desire that the 
bigoted Mussulmans should come upon me, and find me 
with my pistol still smoking in my hand, and the brush 
still burning in the tomb of the prophet \ and we hurried 
from the place and dashed down the mountain on the 
opposite side with a speed and recklessness that only 
fear could give. When we could not jump, our shoes 
were off in a moment, one leaned over the brow of the 
precipice, and gave the other his hand, and down we 
went, allowing nothing to stop us ... In short, after an 
ascent the most toilsome, and a descent the most peril- 
ous I ever accomplished, in about half an hour we were 
at the base of the mountain." — Incidents of Travel. 

" We commenced the ascent of mount Hor on its 
western side . . . For about twenty minutes we had 
something like soil on the heights, with many small 
bushes of the juniper cedar, and the remains of terraces, 
formerly used in cultivation, and consequently pretty 
easy work ; but in the higher parts of the mountain we 
had nothing but the bare sandstone cliffs ... we hoisted 
and pulled one another, and grasped and crept and 
climbed, as best we could. At one or two places we 
found the work sufficiently trying to our heads and 
nerves, as well as to our hands and feet . . . About a 
hundred and fifty feet from the top, we came to a dead 
stand, or rather were threatened with a dead fall • but 
after a little breathing, we actually took by storm the 
remaining walls of rock. Near the crown of the height, 
we found a gash in the mountain, with a ledge of rock 
overhanging it ; and in this cut, after passing an ancient 
archway and gate, we found a regular series of steps 
which conducted us to the very summit . . . The wild 



J 

MOUNT HOR. 393 

sublimity, grandeur, and terror of the new and wonderful 

i scene around and underneath us, overawed our souls. We 
were seated on the very throne, as it appeared to us, of deso- 
lation itself . . . broken and shattered, and frowning heights 
— ruin piled upon ruin, and dark and devouring depths 
— lay on our right hand and on our left. To the rising- 
sun, mount Seir, the pride and glory of Edom, and the 

. terror of its adversaries, lay before us — smitten in its 
length and breadth by the hand of the Almighty 

j stretched out against it — barren and most desolate, with 
its daughter, the city of the rock, overthrown and pros- 

' trate at its feet. To the west, we had the great and 
terrible wilderness, with its deserts, and pits, and 
droughts, spread out before us, without any limit but 
its own vastness, and pronounced by God himself to be 
the very shadow of death . . . We continued on mount 
Hor till the sinking sun admonished us to leave its sum- 

i mits. We did not find the descent by any means so diffi- 
cult as the ascent. This was owing to our discovering a 
pathway, that gently winds along its south-eastern flank. 
We found a tolerable soil on that side of the mount, 'the 
terraces of Aaron,' as they are called by the Arabs, 
supporting plants and bushes, particularly of juniper, 
and several small plots of ground laid out for cultivation. 
When the sun failed us, when we got to the road which 
leads to Petra, we had tolerable light from the moon, 
which had just completed its first quarter; and its effect 
on the red sandstone cliffs, among which we were pass- 
ing, was sombre, but pleasing . . . Owing to the excess 
of our fatigue, we were scarcely able to go to sleep 
during the night. Throughout its greatest stillness, we 
heard for hours the nocturnal birds of prey, both great 
and small, crying to their mates ; and we came to the 
conclusion, that the locality in which we were, was 
certainly a court for owls. — (isa. xxxiv. 13.)" — Wilson's 
Lands of the Bible. 

j 

i 



394 



EDOM. 




TRIUMPHAL ARCH AT PETRA. 



EDOM. 

HISTORICAL NOTICES— APPROACH TO PETRA— WADY MOUSA, OR YALLEY 
Or MOSES— THE SYK — GENERAL YIETV OE PETRA — THE KHASNE— EL 
DEIR— THE THEATRE— GLEN IN Y.'ADY HOES A— LUXURIANT YEGETA- 
TION — REaLARELABLE COLOURING OE THE ROCKS — EULEILALENTS OE 
PROPHECY. 

SCEIPTUEE XOTICES. 

" For my sword shall be bathed in heaven ; behold, 
it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people 
of my curse, to judgment. The sword of the Lord is 
filled with blood \ it is made fat with fatness, and with 
the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kid- 
neys of rams : for the Lord hath a sacrifice in Bozrah 
and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea . . . From 
generation to generation it shall lie waste ; none shall 
pass through it for ever and ever : But the cormorant 
and the bittern shall possess it ; the owl also and the 



EDOM. 



395 



raven shall dwell in it ; and he shall stretch out upon 
it the line of confusion, and the stones of emptiness. 
They shall call the nobles thereof to the kingdom, but 
none shall be there, and all her princes shall be nothing. 
And thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles and 
brambles in the fortresses thereof ; and it shall be an 

• habitation of dragons, and a court for owls. The wild 

. beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts 
of the island, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow * the 

; screech-owl also shall rest there, and find for herself a 
place of rest. There shall the great owl make her nest, 

' and lay, and hatch, and gather under her shadow 3 there 
shall the vultures also be gathered, every one with her 

j mate." — Isai. xxxiv. 5, 6, 10—15. 

" If grape-gatherers come to thee, would they not 
leave some gleaning grapes ? If thieves by night, they 
will destroy till they have enough ; but I have made 

! Esau bare ... I will make thee small among the heathen 
... thy terribleness hath deceived thee, and the pride 
of thine heart, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the 
rock, that holdest the height of the hill : though thou 
shouldest make thy nest as high as the eagle, I will 
bring thee down from thence, saith the Lord. Also 
Edom shall be a desolation ; every one that goeth by it 
shall be astonished, and shall hiss at all the plagues 
thereof ... No man shall abide there." — Jer. xlix. 9 
10, 15—18. 

" I will also stretch out my hand upon Edom . . . and 
I will make it desolate from Teman." — Ezek. xxv. 13. 

" Moreover, the word of the Lord came unto me, say- 
ing, Son of man, set thy face against mount Seir, and 
prophesy against it, and say unto it ; thus saith the Lord 
God, Behold, mount Seir, I am against thee, and I 
will stretch out mine hand against thee, and I will make 
thee most desolate. I will lay thy cities waste . . . thou 
shalt be desolate, mount Seir, and all Idumea, even 
I all of it, and they shall know that I am the Lord." — 
Ezek. xxxv. 1 — 4, 15; (read whole chapter.) 



396 



EDOM. 



" They shall call theni, The border of wickedness, and, 
The people against whom the Lord hath indignation for 
ever." — Malaclii i. 4. 



" On the south of Moab, mount Seir, on the territory 
of Edora, extended to Elath on the Red Sea. To this 
region Esau retired from the face of his brother Jacob ; 
and his descendants are said to have succeeded the 
Horites in mount Seir, ' when they had destroyed them 
and dwelt in their stead.' The rivalry of the patriarchs 
Esau and Jacob, was transmitted to their posterity. 
When the Israelites, after many years of wandering, 
arrived a second time at Kadesh, they asked leave of the 
Edomites to pass through their country by the ' King's 
highway,' in order to reach Palestine from the east. 
Leave was refused ; and the Israelites were thus com- 
pelled to return through the 'Arabah to Elath (Ailah, 
'Akabah), and thence pass up through the mountains 
to the eastern desert, so as to make the circuit of the 
land of Edom. 

" In later times Saul made war upon the Edomites; 
David subdued the whole country; and Solomon made 
Ezion-geber a naval station, whence he despatched 
fleets to Ophir. After various struggles, this people 
succeeded in the time of King Joram in making them- 
selves again independent of Judah ; for although 
Amaziah made war upon them and captured one of 
their chief cities, Sela (Rock, Petra), changing its name 
to Joktheel ; and although L T zziah his successor ' built 
Elath and restored it to Judah ;' yet these appear to 
have been only temporary conquests. Under Ahaz, the 
Edomites made inroads upon Judea and carried away 
captives ; and about the same time Rezin, King of 
Syria, 6 drove the Jews from Elath,' of which the 
Edomites now took permanent possession. All this 
time their metropolis appears to have been Bozrah. 



EDOM. 



397 



" From the proplietical books of tlie Old Testament 
j we also know, that while the kingdom of Judah was 
fast verging to ruin, that of Edom became prosperous ; 
and joining apparently the Chaldeans under Nebuchad- 
nezzar, aided in the overthrow of the Jewish state. In 
a like degree the national hatred of the Jews against 
Edom became still more inflamed ; and the prophets 
uttered the strongest denunciations against that land. 
| During the Jewish exile, as it would appear, the 
i Edomites pressed forward into the south of Palestine, 
I of which they took possession as far as to Hebron ; here 
j they were subsequently attacked and subdued by the 
Maccabees, and compelled to adopt the laws and customs 
of the Jews. Idumea, which name now included also 
the southern part of Judea, was henceforth governed by 
a succession of Jewish prefects. One of these, Antipater, 
an Idumean by birth, by the favour of Caesar, was made 
procurator of all Judea ; and his son, Herod the Great, 
became king over the Jews, including Idumea. Just 
before the siege of Jerusalem by Titus, bands of Idu- 
mean s threw themselves into the city, which they aided 
to fill with robbery and violence. From this time on- 
ward, the Edomites, as a people, vanish from the pages 
of history ; and in the next century Ptolemy limits 
their territory to the region west of the Dead Sea. 

" But while the Edomites had thus been extending 
their limits in the north-west, they had in turn been 
driven out from the southern portion of their own terri- 
tory, and from their chief city itself, by the Nabatheans, 
an Arabian tribe, the descendants of Nabaioth the eldest 
son of Ishmael. This nomadic people had spread them- 
selves over the whole of desert Arabia, from the 
Euphrates to the borders of Palestine, and finally to the 
Elanitic gulf of the Eed Sea. At what period they 
thus supplanted the Edomites, in their ancient posses- 
sions, is unknown ; but so early as the time of Anti- 
gonus, one of Alexander's successors, who died B.C. 301, 
I that prince, after having seized upon Syria and Palestine, 

J|. 

i 



398 



EDOM. 



sent two expeditions against the Nabatheans, in Petra ; 
the first commanded by Athenaeus, and the second by 
his own son, Demetrius. At this time they were still 
essentially nomadic, and had apparently no king; but 
they had already begun to engage in commerce, and 
seem gradually to have become more fixed in their 
habits. In this way during the following centuries, 
they grew up into the kingdom of Arabia Petrsea, occu- 
pying nearly the same territory which was comprised 
within the limits of ancient Edom. A king of this 
country, Aretas, is mentioned as cotemporary with An- 
tiochus Epiphanes. just before the time of the Mac- 
cabees, about 166 b.c. 

" From this time onward to the destruction of Jeru- 
salem, the sovereigns of Arabia Petrsea, who usually 
bore the name of Aretas or Obodas, came into frequent 
contact with the Jew T s and Romans, both in war and 
in peace . . . They appear to have been in a measure 
dependent on the Roman emperors, though not directly 
subject to the Roman power . . . One of these is the 
Aretas mentioned by Paul, but his possession of the 
city of Damascus could have been only temporary. 
Josephus relates, that Herod Antipas having espoused 
his daughter, repudiated her in order to marry Herodias ; 
a step for which he was reproved by John the Baptist. 
Upon this, Aretas made war against Herod and totally 
destroyed his army; a judgment upon Herod, as many 
of the serious minded Jews regarded it, for his murder 
of John . . . The nominal independence of the kingdom 
of Arabia continued for some thirty years after the 
destruction of Jerusalem. Under the reign of Trajan, 
about a.d. 105, it was overrun and conquered by Cor- 
nelius Palma, then governor of Syria, and formally 
annexed to the Roman empire. 

u The inhabitants of this region had early become ex- 
tensively engaged in commerce, as the carriers of the 
rich products of the east between the Red Sea and the 
ports of the Phenicians. In the first expedition sent by 



EDOM. 



399 



Antigonus, the men of Petra were absent at a mart, and 
Athenseus found in Petra a large quantity of frankin- 
cense and myrrh, and five hundred talents of silver. 
Strabo relates, that the merchandize of India and Arabia 
was transported on camels from Leuke Kome to Petra, 
and thence to Rhinocolura (el'-Arish), and other places. 
Under the Romans, this trade appears to have become 
still more prosperous. The country was rendered more 
accessible, and the passage of merchants and caravans 
facilitated, by military ways and by the establishment 
of military posts to keep in check the predatory hordes 
of the neighbouring deserts. 

" One great road, of which traces still remain, had 
its direction northwards from Ailah to Petra, and 
thence to Damascus ; from Petra a branch went off on 
the west of the Dead Sea, to Jerusalem, Askelon, and 
other parts of the Mediterranean. A line of military 
stations was established along this road, which served to 
protect it against incursions from the eastern desert ; and 
some of these became the sites of towns. 

" Early in the fourth century, the name of Palestine 
was occasionally extended so as to include this whole 
region; and in the beginning of the fifth century, we 
find introduced a new division of Judea and the adja- 
cent countries, into Palestine, first, second, and third. 
These three Palestines had each a metropolitan see, of 
which one was Petra. Long before this time, therefore, 
the Christian religion had extended itself throughout 
the region . . . 

" Before the middle of the seventh century, the 
religion of the false prophet began to be propagated by 
the sword ; and soon united all the Arab hordes, how- 
ever distinct in other respects, into one great community 
of religious zealots ... 

" With this conquest, the commercial importance and 
prosperity of the former Arabia Petraea fell into decay. 
Muhammedan empires arose and flourished in southern 
Arabia, Syria, and Egypt . . . The whole region was at 



400 



SELAH, THE ROCK, JOKTHEEL. 



length given up to the nomadic hordes of the adjacent 
deserts, whose descendants still hold it in possession. 
From the Muhammedan conquest to the time of the 
crusades, not one ray of light falls upon this forgotten 
land! 

" The invasion of the crusaders let in, for the moment, 
a few faint gleams upon the otherwise total darkness. 
During the twelfth century they penetrated at different 
times into the regions east and south of the Dead Sea, 
and held portions of them for a season in possession . . . 
From that time onward until the present century, thick 
darkness again rests upon the land of Edom ... It was 
reserved for Burckhardt ... to explore the wonders of 
the Wady Musa." — Dr. Robinson. 



SELAH, THE ROCK, JOKTHEEL (PETE A). 
SCRIPTURE NOTICES. 

" He slew of Edom, in the Valley of Salt, ten thousand, 
and took Selah by war, and called the name of it 
Joktheel unto this day." — 2 Kings xiv. 7. 

" Send ye the lamb to the ruler of the land from 
Sela to the wilderness, unto the mount of the daughter 
of Zion." — Isa. xvi. 1. 



APPEOACH TO PETEA. 

" The land of Idumea lay before me, in barrenness 
and desolation; no trees grew in the valley, and no 
verdure on the mountain-tops. All was bare, dreary, 
and desolate . . . 

" (We reached) the foot of the mountains of Seir; and 
towering above the rest, was the bare and rugged summit 
of Mount Hor, the burial-place of Aaron, visible in every 



APPROACH TO PETRA. 



401 



direction at a great distance from below, and on both 
sides the great range of mountains, and forming one of 
the marks by which the Bedouin regulates his wanderings 
in the desert. Soon after we turned in among the 
mountains, occasionally passing small spots of verdure, 
strangely contrasting with the surrounding and general 
desolation . . . Before daybreak next morning we had 
struck our tent, and started for Wady Mousa, and the 
city of Petra. Our course was a continued ascent. 
I have found it throughout difficult to give any descrip- 
tion which can impart to the reader a distinct idea of 
the wild and desolate scenes presented among these 
mountainous deserts . . . The mountains were barren, 
solitary, and desolate, and as we ascended, their aspect 
became more and more wild and rugged, and rose to 
grandeur and sublimity. Among these arid wastes of 
crumbling rock, there were beautiful streams gushing 
out from the sides of the mountains, and sometimes 
small valleys, where the green grass, and shrubs, and 
bushes, were putting forth in early spring. The ascent 
was difficult ; our camels toiled laboriously ; and even 
our sure-footed Arabian horses often slipped upon the 
steep and rugged path. Once we sat down upon an 
eminence which overlooked, on one side, a range of 
wild and barren mountains, and on the other, the dreary 
valley of El Ghor ; above us was the venerable summit 
of Mount Hor : from this point we wound along its base, 
for from this great height it seemed just beginning to 
rise into a mountain. Not far from the base of Mount 
Hor we came to some tombs cut in the sides of the rocks, 
and standing at the threshold of the entrance to the 
excavated city. Before entering this extraordinary 
place, it would not be amiss, in few words, to give its 
history. 

"Petra, the excavated city, the long lost capital of 
Edom, in the Scriptures and profane writings, in every 
language in which its name occurs, signifies a rock ; 
and we learn that its inhabitants lived in natural clefts 

D D 



402 



APPROACH TO PETRA. 



or excavations made in the solid rock. Desolate as it 
now is, we have reason to believe that it goes back to 
the time of Esau, i the father of Edom that princes 
and dukes, ei^ht successive kings, and again a long line 
of dukes, dwelt there before any king ' reigned over 
Israel and we recognise it from the earliest ages as the 
central point to which came the caravans from the 
interior of Arabia. Persia, and India, laden with all the 
precious commodities of the East, and from which these 
commodities were distributed through Egypt, Palestine, 
and Syria, and all the countries bordering on the Medi- 
terranean, even Tyre and Sid on deriving their purple 
and dyes from Petra. Eight hundred years before 
Christ, Amaziah. the king of Judea, ' slew of Edom in 
the Valley of Salt 1 ten thousand, and took Selah, (the 
Hebrew name of Petra.) by war.' Three hundred years 
after the last of the prophets, and nearly a century 
before the Christian era. the ■ king of Arabia ' issued 
from his palace at Petra. at the head of fifty thousand 
men, horse and foot, entered Jerusalem, and, uniting 
with the Jews, pressed the siege of the temple, which 
was only raised by the advance of the Romans ; and in 
the beginning of the second century, though its inde- 
pendence was lost ; Petra was still the capital of a Roman 
province. After that time it rapidly declined ; its 
history became more and more obscure ; for more than 
a thousand years it was completely lost to the civilized 
world; and until its discovery by Burckhardt, in 1812, 
except to the wandering Bedouins, its very site was 
unknown. And this was the city at whose door I now 
stood ... In a few words, this ancient and extraordinary 
city is situated within a natural amphitheatre of two or 
three miles in circumference, encompassed on all sides 
by rugged mountains. The whole of this area is now a 
waste of ruins, dwelling-houses, palaces, temples, and 

1 This valley was probably the Ghor south of the Dead Sea, adjacent 
to the Mountain of Salt. — See " Scripture Topography," Part I. Palestine, 
chap, vii 



APPROACH TO PETEA. 



403 



triumphal arches, all prostrate together in undistinguish- 
able confusion. The sides of the mountains are cut 
smooth, in a perpendicular direction, and filled with 
long and continued ranges of dwelling-houses, temples, 
and tombs, excavated with vast labour out of the solid 
rock; and while their summits present nature in her 
wildest and most savage form, their bases are adorned 




iNTERiOB. uF KHASNE. 



with all the beauty of architecture and art, with 
columns, and porticoes, and pediments, and ranges of 
corridors, enduring as the mountains out of which they 
are hewn, and fresh as if the work of a generation 
scarcely yet gone by. 

" Nothing can be finer than the immense rocky 



WADY MOrS A— THE SYK. 



rampart which encloses the city. Strong, firm, and 
immovable as nature itself, it seems to deride the 
walls of cities, and the puny fortifications of skilful 
engineers." — Incidents of Travel. 



TTADT MOXJSA— TM.T.TT Or MOSES. 

K TVe found our tent pitched under a huge rock . . . 
Oleanders are blooming at our feet, wild flowers of every 
hue cover the crags, and the air is filled with the 
perfumes of jessamine. 

" Our home is in the bosom of TVady Mousa, that 
mysterious valley, the land of accomplished prophecy, 
the spot where prophecy has still to be fulfilled . . . Xow 
it is indeed the valley of the shadow of death. The 
king of terrors frowns over the hollow rocks, the owl 
hoots, the vulture screams through the desolate dwellings 
and ransacked sepulchres, aDd the passing traveller 
learns a solemn lesson from beholding: what neither 
books nor recital can adequately convey."' — Viscount 
Castleeeagh. 



THE SYK. 

The Syk, or approach leading into Petra, is a 
magnificent defile. Xarrow as a mere footpath in some 
parts, it rends asunder crags more than 200 feet high, 
excluding the sun, and in many spots almost closing 
over head. This remarkable chasm is covered from end 
to end with a copse of oleanders (watered by a limpid 
brook which flows along the whole distance), so that it 
is difficult to pass through the flowers, which bloom on 
all sides. The wild fig springs from the clefts of the 
rock : the briar and the ivy fall in festoons from the 
crags ; the desert broom and other evergreen shrubs 



THE SYK. 



405 



grow among the stones in the wildest luxuriance ; and 
| the bright lights and shadows, cast upon the streaked 
sides of the gorge, form a remarkable combination of 
exquisite beauty and savage grandeur. 

" (The Fellah or the Bedouin brushes the wild flowers 
aside without a thought of their colour or their fragrance, 
and passes with equal neglect the magnificent efforts of 
skill of former ages). 

" The length of this wonderful approach is consider- 
able ; the impression which it makes is utterly inde- 
scribable. The bottom of the passage was anciently 
paved with squared stones, of which many remain. 

u As we advanced, the natural features of the defile 
grew more and more imposing at every step, and the 
excavations and sculpture more frequent on both sides, 
till it presented at last a continued street of tombs, 
beyond which the rocks gradually approaching each 
other seemed all at once to close without any outlet. 
There is, however, one frightful chasm for the passage 
of the stream, which furnishes, as it did anciently, the 
only avenue to Petra on this side. It is impossible to 
conceive anything more awful or sublime than such an 
approach ; the width is not more than just sufficient 
for the passage of two horsemen abreast, the sides are 
in all parts perpendicular, varying from 400 to 700 
feet in height, and they often overhang to such a 
degree, that without their absolutely meeting, the sky 
is intercepted and completely shut out for 100 yards 
together, and there is little more light than in a cavern. 

" The screaming of the eagles, hawks, and owls, 
who were soaring above our heads in considerable 
numbers, seemingly annoyed at any one approaching 
their lonely habitation, added much to the singularity 
of this scene. The tamarisk, the wild fig, and the 
oleander, grew luxuriantly about the road, rendering 
the passages often difficult ; in some places they hung 
down most beautifully from the cliffs and crevices where 
they had taken root ; the caper-plant was also in 



406 



THE SIK. 



luxuriant growth, the continued shade furnishing them 
with moisture. 




APPROACH TO PETRA. 

" Very near the first entrance into this romantic pass, 
a bold arch is thrown across at a great height, con- 
necting the opposite sides of the cliff. As the traveller 
passes under it. its appearance is most surprising, 
hanging thus above his head betwixt two rugged 
masses apparently inaccessible." — Ikby and Mangles. 



GENERAL VIEW OF PETRA. 



407 




PETRA FROM THE THEATRE. 



GENERAL VIEW OE PETRA. 

It is difficult to afford any good idea by description 
of this City of Tombs, It is from the approach to the 
theatre that " the ruins of the city burst on the view 
in their full grandeur, shut in on the opposite side by 
barren, craggy precipices, from which numerous ravines 
and valleys, like those we had passed, branch out in all 
directions ; the sides of the mountains, covered with 
an endless variety of excavated tombs, 1 and private 
dwellings, presented altogether the most singular scene 
we ever beheld ; and we must despair to give the 
reader an idea of the singular effect of the rocks, tinted 

l Some of them are so high, and the side of the mountain is so per- 
pendicular, that it seems impossible to approach the uppermost." — Burck- 
hardt. 



408 



GENERAL VIEW OF PETRA . 



with most extraordinary hues, whose summits present 
us with nature in her most savage and romantic form, 
whilst their bases are worked out in all the symmetry 
and regularity of art, with colonnades and pediments, 
and ranges of corridors adhering to the perpendicular 
surface." — Irby and Mangles. 

From the heights above the theatre, Lord Castlereagh 
thus describes the scene : — " Even at the summit of 
these towering cliffs, which are here at least 200 feet 
high, and extremely rugged and precipitous, the labours 
and skill of man are conspicuous every where. Upon 
every face of the hills where the eye rests, the vestiges 
of tombs and excavations are visible from the base to 
the pinnacles \ almost all, however, are obliterated to a 
great degree by the waters and the action of the sun. 
Gardens cut in the rock supplied the Edomite with his 
grapes and figs ; staircases cut in the stone are to be 
traced in all parts ; and terraces and galleries are dis- 
tinctly marked out. The mountains are intersected 
with numerous conduits, for the passage of the waters 
which once fertilized this Eden of the rock ; but at 
this period of the year there is no stream even in the 
brook of Wady Mousa." 



THE KHASNE. 



409 



THE KHASNE. 

All at once the 
beautiful temple cut 
in the rock which 
forms one of the splen- 
did remains of Petra, 
bursts upon the view 
of the traveller oppo- 
site the mouth of the 
chasm ; the hue of the 
rock out of which it 
is hewn is soft and 
rosy. It is called the 
Khasne ; and " there 
it stands, as it has 
stood for ages, in 
beauty and loneliness ; 
and the wild Arab, as 
he passes by it, looks 
at it with stupid in- 
difference or scorn. 
The name by which 
the Arabs call this 
edifice, signifies 
treasure/ which 
suppose to be 
tained in the 
crowning the summit 
of its ornamented 
front, a hundred feet 
or more above the 
ground. Their only 
interest indeed in all 
these monuments, is 
to search for hidden 
treasures, and as they 



< the 
they 
con- 



urn ^ 




find 



nothing 



else- 



VIEW OF KHASNE, FROM THE CHASM. 



410 



EL-DEIR. 



where, they imagine them to be deposited in this urn, 
which to them is inaccessible. It bears the marks of 
many musket-balls, which they have fired at it, in the 
hope of breaking it to pieces, and thus obtaining the 
imagined treasure." — Dr. Robinson. 




VIEW OF K.HASXE. 



EL-DEIR. 

Another striking ruin at Petra, is that called El-Deir. 
It was long un visited by travellers, who never could 
find or reach it from the valleys beneath. 

" We ascended into the recesses of the mountains, 
passing by the homestead of some peasants, where a 
hole in the rock contained an ass, a few goats, some 
wretched blankets, two naked children, and an old 
crone. At the base of the rocks are the remains of a 



THE THEATRE. 



411 



staircase, which conducts the Arabs and his goats, or the 
adventurous pilgrim from a foreign land, the only 
passers by, to the ruins of the temple. Facing Mount 
Hor, it overlooks deep precipices and ravines," and 
was probably used as a place of idolatrous worship. — 
Viscount Castlereagh. 



THE THEATRE. 

" In the bosom of the mountain, hewn out of the solid 
rock, (is) a large theatre, circular in form, the pillars in 
front fallen, and containing thirty- three rows of seats, 
capable of containing more than 3,000 persons. Above 
the corridor was a range of doors opening to chambers 
in the rocks, the seats of the princes and wealthiest 
inhabitants of Petra. Day after clay these seats had 
been filled, and the now silent rocks had echoed to the 
applauding shout of thousands ; and little could an 
ancient Edomite imagine that a solitary stranger, from 
a then unknown world, 1 would one day be wandering 
among the ruins of his proud and wonderful city; medi- 
tating upon the fate of a race that has for ages passed 
away. Where are ye, inhabitants of this desolate city ? 
ye who once sat upon the seats of this theatre, the 
young, the high-born, the beautiful, and brave 1 ? who 
once rejoiced in your riches and power, and lived as if 
there were no grave 1 Where are ye now 1 Even the 
very tombs, whose open doors are stretching away in 
long ranges before the eyes of the wondering traveller, 
cannot reveal the mystery of your doom : your dry 
bones are gone ; the robber has invaded your graves, 
and your very ashes have been swept away to make 
room for the wandering Arab of the desert. 

" But we need not stop at the days when a gay popu- 
lation were crowding to this theatre. In the earliest 
periods of recorded time, long before this theatre was 
1 America. 



412 



THE THEATRE. 



built, a great city stood here. When Esau, having sold 
his birthright for a rness of pottage, came to his portion 
among the mountains of Seir ; and Edom, growing in 
power and strength, became presumptuous and haughty, 
until, in her pride, when Israel prayed a passage 
through her country, Edom said unto Israel, i Thou shalt 
Dot pass by me, lest I come out against thee with the 
sword.' 

" I would that the sceptic could stand as I did among 
the ruins of this city among the rocks, and there 
open the sacred book, and read the words of the in- 
spired penman, written when this desolate city was 
one of the greatest cities in the world. I see the 
scoff arrested, his cheek pale, his lip quivering and 
his heart quaking for fear, as the ruined place cries 
out to him in a voice loud and powerful as that of one 
risen from the dead : though he would not believe 
Moses and the prophets, he believes the handwriting of 
God himself in the desolation and eternal ruin around 
him. 

" Perfect as has been the fulfilment of the prophecy 
in regard to this desolate city, in no one particular has 
its truth been more awfully verified than in the com- 
plete destruction of its inhabitants in the extermination 
of the race of the Edomites. In the same day, and by 
the voice of the same prophets, came the separate denun- 
ciations against the descendants of Israel and Edom, 
declaring against both a complete change of their tem- 
poral condition \ and while the Jews have been dispersed 
in every country under heaven, and are still, in every 
land, a separate and unmixed people, i the Edomites 
have been cut off for ever, and there is not any remain- 
ing of the house of Esau.' 

" ' Wisdom has departed from Teman, and understand- 
ing out of the mount of Esau and the miserable Arab 
who now roams over the land cannot appreciate or un- 
derstand the works of its ancient inhabitants. In the 
summer he cultivates the few r valleys in which seed will 



THE THEATRE. 



413 



grow, and in the winter makes his habitation among the 
tombs ; and, stimulated by vague and exaggerated tra- 
ditionary notions of the greatness and wealth of the 
people who have gone before him, his barbarous hand 
is raised against the remaining monuments of their arts ; 
and as he breaks to atoms the sculptured stone, he ex- 
pects to gather up their long-hidden treasures. I could 
have lingered for days upon the steps of that theatre — 
but the sheik was hurrying me away. From the first he 
had told me that I must not pass a night within the 
city, and was perpetually urging me to make my retreat 
while there was yet time. He said that if the Arabs 
at the other end of the great entrance heard of a 
stranger being there, they would be down upon me to a 
man. Every moment he was becoming more and more 
impatient ; and spurring my horse, I followed him on a 
gallop among the ruins. We ascended the valley, and 
rising to the summit of the rocky rampart, it was almost 
dark when we found ourselves opposite a range of tombs 
in the suburbs of the city. Here we dismounted ; and 
selecting from among them one which, from its finish 
and dimensions, must have been the last abode of some 
wealthy Eclomite, we prepared to pass the night within 
its walls. I was completely worn out when I threw 
myself on the rocky floor of the tomb . . . The singular 
character of the city, and the uncommon beauty of 
its ruins, its great antiquity, the prophetic denunciations 
of whose truth it was the witness, its loss for more than 
a thousand years to the civilized world, its very exist- 
ence being known only to the wandering Arab ; the 
difficulty of reaching it, and the hurried and dangerous 
manner in which I had reached it, gave a thrilling and 
almost fearful interest to the time and place, of which I 
feel it utterly impossible to convey any idea . . . Now 
we thought only of rest ; and seldom has the tenant of 
a palace laid down with greater satisfaction on his 
canopied bed than I did upon the stony floor of this 
tomb in Petra, In the front part it was a large cham- 



414 



THE THEATRE. 



ber, about twenty-five feet square, and ten feet high ; 
and behind this was another of smaller dimensions, fur- 
nished with receptacles for the dead, cut lengthwise in 
the rock, like ovens, so as to admit the insertion of the 
body with the feet foremost. We built a fire in the 
outer chamber, thus lighting up the innermost recesses 



INTERIOR. OF A 10MB. 

of the tombs . . . The Bedouins stretched themselves in 
the former, while I went within; and seeking out a 
tomb as far back as I could find, I crawled in feet first. 
I was very tired, the night was cold, and here I was 
completely sheltered . . . Little did the Edomite for whom 
the tomb was made, imagine that his bones would one 
day be scattered to the winds, and a straggling American 



GLEN IN WADY MOUSA LUXURIANT VEGETATION. 415 



and a horde of Bedouins, born and living thousands 
of miles from each other, would be sleeping quietly in 
his tomb, alike ignorant and careless of him for whom it 
was built." — Incidents of Travel. 



GLEN IN WADY MOUSA. 

" The hills gradually closed in around our path, while 
here and there appeared small platforms of rock decked 
with verdant shrubs. As we advanced into this romantic 
glen, the scene became at every step more lovely ; olean- 
ders of thirty feet high, innumerable wild flowers, and 
creepers in full bloom, sprang from the fissures of the 
cliffs. The evergreens were so thick that they had been 
cut away to open out a camel track. The vine, too, 
spread its tendrils among the branches that sheltered us 
from the sun, and clusters of grapes were hanging, in 
festooned arches, over our heads. Further on were 
large mulberry-trees covered with fruit ; myriads of 
birds started from the cliffs, pigeons and doves were 
upon the wing m every direction, and we heard the wild 
call of the partridge on all sides." — -Vise. Castlereagh. 



LUXURIANT VEGETATION. 

The river which flows through Wad Mousa is in 
some parts difficult to follow, " from the luxuriance of 
the shrubs that surround it, and obstruct every track. 
Besides the oleander, which is common to all the water- 
courses in this country, one may recognise among the 
plants which choke this valley, some which are probably 
the descendants of those that adorned the gardens, and 
supplied the market of the capital of Arabia ; the carob, 
fig, mulberry, vine, and pomegranate, line the riyer 
side j a very beautiful species of aloe also grows in this 



416 REMARKABLE COLOURING OF THE ROCKS. 



valley, bearing a flower of an orange hue, shaded to 
scarlet ; in some instances it had upwards of one hun- 
dred blossoms in a bunch." — Irby and Mangles. 



REMARKABLE COLOURING OF THE ROCKS. 

" The rocks about Petra are remarkable for their 
varied hues. 

" Nowhere is the extraordinary colouring of these 
mountains more striking than in the road to the 
tomb of Aaron (on mount Hor) which we followed, 
where the rock sometimes presented a deep, sometimes 
a paler blue, and sometimes was occasionally streaked 
with red, or shaded off to lilac or purple ; sometimes a 
salmon-colour was veined in waved lines and circles, 
with crimson and even scarlet, so as to resemble exactly 
the colour of raw meat ; in other places there are livid 
stripes of yellow or bright orange, and in some parts all 
the different colours were ranged side by side in parallel 
strata; there are portions also with paler tints, and some 
quite white, but these last seem to be soft, and not good 
for preserving the sculpture. It is this wonderful variety 
of colours observable throughout the whole range of 
mountains, that gives to Petra one of its most charac- 
teristic beauties ; the tombs, tastefully as they are 
sculptured, owe much of their imposing appearance to 
this infinite diversity of hues in the stone." — Irby and 
Mangles. 



FULFILMENTS OF PROPHECY. 



417 




TOMBS AT PETRA. 



FULFILMENTS OF PROPHECY. 

The fields of Tafyla, (Dear Edom,) are frequented by 
immense numbers of crows ; the eagle is very common in 
the mountains, as are also wild boars. In all the 
valleys south of the Arnon, large herds of mountain 
goats (the Satyr of Scripture) are met with. The Katta 
also is met with in such numbers in the neighbouring 
mountains, that the Arab boys often kill two or three 
at a time, merely by throwing a stick at them. The 
only sounds that break the night silence of the valley 
of Petra, " are the hooting of the owls, or the distant cry 
of the fox or jackal." The ruins of Edom are also said 
to abound with scorpions. 

" Petra," observes Dr. Wilson, " may be characteris- 
tically spoken of as an habitation of dragons. The 
Arabs, in the space of a few minutes, caught for us 
some scores of lizards, chameleons, centipedes, and 
e e 



418 



FULFILMENTS OF PROPHECY. 



dragons." Thorns and brambles, too, are numerous ; 
climbing the columns, and hiding the monuments. In 
the interior of what seems to have been a palace, and 
in its adjoining enclosures, there are many brooms, 
thistles, nettles, thorns, £c, growing. It is impossible 
to look at them in the place where they are found, 
without recalling the language of the prophet in Isa. 
xxxiv. 13. 

Of the character of the wild Arabs who frequent 
the heights of Edom, and are its only inhabitants, very 
bad accounts are generally given. They resist any en- 
trance into their territory, in the hope of extorting 
money from travellers. 

" The messages which arrived in the course of the 
morning from the opposite party, were only a renewal of 
protestations and oaths against our entering their ter- 
ritory; and they even threw out menaces of cutting off 
our return from where we were ; thus situated we could 
not but compare our case to that of the Israelites under 
Moses, when Eclom refused to give them a passage 
through her countrv." — Irby and Maxgles. 

They have the reputation of being very daring 
thieves — a savage and treacherous race. Their igno- 
rance and barbarous condition are extreme, — they are 
only bent on seeking for treasures amongst the wonder- 
ful antiquities which surround them \ and Burckhardt 
speaks of the clearing away of rubbish to allow the 
water to flow into an ancient cistern at Madeba, as 
an undertaking far beyond the views of the wandering 
Arabs. 

" On the western side of the valley, hewn stones, for- 
merly used in different kinds of edifices, public and 
private, are seen scattered about in all directions, and 
in some places covering the ground to a considerable 
depth. Numerous foundations and broken walls, rising 
but little from the ground, are also visible. These 
ruins, and those corresponding with them in the de- 
stroyed walls of the terraces for cultivation on Mount 



MAON. 



419 



Seir, and the covering of the soil by their fragments, as 
well as the washing down of that soil from the heights, 
are impressive indications of the desolations of Edom. 
' God shall stretch out upon it the line of confusion, 
and the stones of emptiness,' — or, as it is by some ren- 
dered, ' the line of wasteness, and the plummets of 
desolation.' " — Dr. Wilson. 

Surely in all these particulars we cannot fail to 
recognise the literal fulfilment of the prophetic word, 

Ci It might with truth be called Petraea," writes 
Burckhardt of this district of Arabia, "not only on 
account of its rocky mountains, but also (because its 
elevated plain) is so much covered with stones, especially 
flints, that it may with great propriety be called a stony 
desert, though susceptible of culture ; in many places it 
is overgrown with wild herbs, and must once have been 
thickly inhabited, for the traces of many ruined towns 
and villages are met with on both sides of the Hadj road 
between Maan and Akaba, as well as between Maan 
and the plains of Hauran ; in which direction are also 
many springs. At present all this country is a desert ; 
and Maan is the only inhabited place in it." — Burck- 
hardt. 



M AON. 
SCRIPTURE NOTICE. 

" The Maonites did oppress you ; and ye cried unto 
me, and I delivered you out of their hand." — Judges 
x. 12. 



" Maan is situated in the midst of a rocky country, 
not capable of cultivation; the inhabitants, therefore, 
depend upon their neighbours of Djebal and Shera for 
their provision of wheat and barley. At present, owing 
to the discontinuance of the Syrian Hadj, they are 
scarcely able to obtain money to purchase it. Many of 



420 



BOZRAH OF EDOM. 



them have commenced pedlars among the Bedouins, 
and fabricators of different articles for their use, especi- 
ally sheepskin furs ; while others have emigrated to 
Tafvle and Kerek . . . The inhabitants considering their 
town as an advanced post to the sacred city of Medina, 
apply themselves with great eagerness to the study of 
the Koran. The greater part of them read and write, 
and many serve in the capacity of Imams, or secretaries, 
to the great Bedouin Sheikhs. The two hills upon 
which the town is built divide the inhabitants into 
two parties, almost incessantly engaged in quarrels 
which are often sanguinary ; no individual of one party 
ever marries into a family belonging to the other. 

" At Maan are several springs to which the town owes 
its origin, and these, together with the circumstance of 
its being a station of the Syrian Hadj, are the cause of 
its still existing. The inhabitants have scarcely any 
other means of subsistence than the profits which they 
gain from the pilgrims in their way to and from Mekka, 
by buying up all kinds of provisions at Hebron and 
Gaza, and selling them with great profit to the weary 
pilgrims ; to whom the gardens and vineyards of Maan 
are no less agreeable, than the wild herbs collected by 
the people of Maan are to their camels. The pome- 
granates, apricots, and peaches of Maan are of the finest 
quality. In years when a very numerous caravan passes, 
pomegranates are sold at one piastre each, and every 
thing in the same proportion. During the two days' 
stay of the pilgrims, in going, and as many in returning, 
the people of Maan earn as much as keeps them the 
whole year." — Burckhardt. 



BOZBAH Or EDOAL PROBABLY EL BUSAIREH. 
SCRIPTURE NOTICES. 

" Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his 
stead (over the land of Edom.)" — Gen. xxxvi 33. 



BOZRAH OF EDOM. 



421 



" The Lord hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great 
slaughter in the land of Idumea." — Isaiah xxxiv. 6. 

" Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed 
garments from Bozrah?" — Isaiah lxiii. 1. 

" Judgment is come . . . upon Bozrah, and upon all the 
cities of the land of Moab, far or near." — Jer. xlviii. 
21, 24. 

" I have sworn by myself, saith the Lord, that Bozrah 
shall become a desolation, a reproach, a waste, and a curse ; 
and all the cities thereof shall be perpetual wastes." — 
Jer. xlix. 13. (See ver. 7—22.) 

" I will send a fire upon Teman, which shall devour 
the palaces of Bozrah." — Amosi. 12. (Ver. 11. Micah 
ii. 12.) 

" (Busaireh) is a village of about fifty houses. It 
stands upon an elevation, on the summit of which a 
small castle has been built, where the peasants place 
their provisions in times of hostile invasion. It is a 
square building of stone, with strong walls. (It) ap- 
pears to have been in ancient times a considerable city, 
if we may judge from the ruins which surround the 

houses." BuRCKHARDT. 

" This place, El-Busaireh, seems to bear in its name 
decisive tokens of antiquity. It is now a village of about 
fifty houses, &c. . . . There is reason to suppose that 
another Bozrah lay here within the proper limits of 
Edom, and was for a time the capital of the country. 
Bozrah is often coupled with the land of Edom itself ; 
while the prophet Amos speaks of it expressly in con- 
nexion with the land of Teman, or the south. Further, 
both Eusebius and Jerome mention a Bozrah as existing 
in their day in the mountains of Idumea, distinct from 
the northern Bozrah. 

" A Bozrah is once mentioned among the cities of 
Moab : this is not improbably the same ; since the pos- 
session of particular cities often passed from one hand to 



4:22 



THE ARABS. 



another in the wars of adjacent tribes." — Robinson. See 
Bozrah in Hawaii, 




THE ARABS. 
SCRIPTURE NOTICES. 

" And he will be a wild man ; his hand will be against 
every man, and every man's hand against him ; and he 
shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren." — Gen. 

xvi. 12. 

" And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee : behold, I 
have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will 
multiply him exceedingly : twelve princes shall he 
beget : and I will make him a great nation." — Gtn. 

xvii. 20. 



THE ARABS. 



423 



" If any people in the world afford in their history 
an instance of high antiquity, and of great simplicity of 
manners, the Arabs surely do. Coming among them, 
one can hardly help fancying one's self suddenly carried 
backwards to the ages which succeeded immediately after 
the flood. We are here tempted to imagine ourselves 
among the old patriarchs, with whose adventures we 
have been so much amused in our infant days. The lan- 
guage, which has been spoken from time immemorial, 
and which so nearly resembles that which we have been 
accustomed to regard as of the most distant antiquity, 
completes the illusion. 

" The most natural authority is that of a father over 
his family . . . When the survivors of the human race 
settled themselves anew, after the flood, every family 
readily submitted to the guidance and direction of him 
to whom they owed their existence. As those families 
multiplied, the younger branches still retained some 
respect for the eldest branch, which was esteemed the 
nearest to the parent stem ; and although the sub- 
divisions became more and more numerous, they still 
regarded themselves as composing but one body, in re- 
membrance of their common origin. Such an assem- 
blage of families, all sprung from the same stock, forms 
what we call a tribe ; and the representative of the 
eldest branch retained somewhat of the primary paternal 
authority over the whole tribe to which he belonged. 
Sometimes, when a family became too numerous, it 
divided from the rest with which it was connected, and 
formed a new tribe. Upon other occasions, when several 
tribes found themselves separately too weak to resist a 
common enemy, they would combine, and acknowledge 
one common chief; and sometimes it would happen, 
that a numerous tribe might force some others that were 
weaker to unite themselves to, and become dependent 
upon it. 

" This primitive form of government, which has ever 
subsisted without alteration among the Arabs, proves 



424 



THE AKABS. 



the antiquity of this people, and renders their present 
state more interesting than it would otherwise be. 
Among the Bedouin, or pastoral Arabs, it is preserved 
in all its purity. They live in tents, and have many 
shiekhs, each of whom governs his family with power 
almost absolute. All the shiekhs, however, who belong 
to the same tribe, acknowledge a common shiekh, who 
is called ' shiekh of shiekhs.' 

" It is the difference in their ways of living that 
constitutes the distinctions which characterise the dif- 
ferent tribes. The genuine Arabs disdain husbandry, 
as an employment by which they would be degraded. 
They maintain no domestic animals but sheep and 
camels, except perhaps horses. Those tribes which are 
of a pure Arab's race, live on the flesh of their buffaloes, 
cows, and horses, and on the produce of some little 
ploughing. 

" The former tribes, distinguished as noble by their 
possession of camels, are denominated Abu el Abaar ; 
and the second, Mocedan. These latter transport their 
dwellings from one country to another, according as 
pasturage fails them ; so that a village often rises sud- 
denly in a situation where, on the day before, not a hut 
was to be seen. 

" The genuine Bedouins (wandering Arabs), living 
always in the open air, have a very acute smell. They 
dislike cities on account of the foetid exhalations pro- 
duced about them. They cannot conceive how people, 
who regard cleanliness, can bear to breathe so impure 
air. I have been assured, by persons of undoubted vera- 
city, that some Bedouins, if carried to the spot from 
which a camel has wandered astray, will follow the 
animal by smelling its track, and distinguish the marks 
of its footsteps by the same means, from those of any 
other beasts that may have travelled the same way. 
Those Arabs who wander in the desert will live five 
days without drinking, and discover a pit of water by 
examining the soil and plants in its environs." 



THE ARABS. 



425 



" The Arabs settled in cities, and especially those in 
the sea-port towns, have lost somewhat of their dis- 
tinctive national manners by their intercourse with 
strangers ; but the Bedouins, who live in tents, and 
in separate tribes, have still retained the customs and 
manners of their earliest ancestors, and have never been 




POOR BEDOUTN. 



subdued by any conqueror. They are the genuine Arabs, 
and exhibit, in the aggregate, all those characteristics 
which are distributed respectively among the other 
branches of their nation. The title of Sheikh among 
the Bedouins belongs to every noble, whether of the 
highest or the lowest order. Their nobles are very 
numerous. 

" No two things can differ more than the education of 
the Arabs from that of the Europeans. The former strive as 
much to hasten the age of maturity as the latter to 



426 



THE ARABS. 



retard it. The Arabs are never children ; but many 
Europeans continue children all their life. 

" In Arabia, boys remain in the Harein, among the 
women, till the age of five or six, and during this time 
follow the childish amusements suitable to their years ; 
but as soon as they are removed from that scene of fri- 
volity they are accustomed to think and speak with 
gravity, and to pass whole days together in their father's 
company, at least if he is not in a condition to retain a 
preceptor, who may form them. The young Arabs, in 
consequence of being always under the eyes of persons 
advanced to maturity, become pensive and serious even 
in infancy. 

" Yet, under this air of gravity and recollection, the 
nation have in reality a great vivacity in their hearts. 

" This vivacity in the Arabians makes them fond of 
company and of large assemblies, notwithstanding their 
seeming seriousness. They frequent public coffee-houses 
and markets, which are so numerous through Yemen, 
that every village, of any considerable magnitude, has 
a weekly market. When the villages lie at too great 
a distance, the country-people meet in the open fields, 
some to buy or sell, and others to converse, or amuse 
themselves as spectators of the busy scene. Artisans 
travel through the whole week from town to town, and 
work at their trade in the different markets. 

" The Arabs are not quarrelsome • but, when any 
dispute happens to arise among them, they make a great 
deal of noise. 

" The Arabs shew great sensibility to everything that 
can be construed into an injury. 

" But the most irritable of all men are the Bedouin 
sheikhs. If one sheikh says to another, with a serious 
air, ' Thy bonnet is dirty,' or, ' The wrong side of thy 
turban is out,' nothing but blood can wash away the 
reproach ; and not merely the blood of the offender, 
but that also of all the males of his family. 

" They thirst for vengeance itself, likewise, in the 



THE ARABS. 427 

peculiar manner in which murder is prosecuted here. 
They think little of making an assassin be punished, or 
even put to death, by the hand of justice ; for this would 
be to deliver a family from an unworthy member, who 
deserved no such favour at their hands. 

" For these reasons the Arabs rather revenge them- 
selves, as law allows, upon the family of the murderer, 
I and seek an opportunity of slaying its head or most 
I considerable person, whom they regard as being properly 
| the person guilty of the crime, as it must have been 
i committed through his negligence in watching over the 
1 conduct of those under his inspection. In the mean- 
time the judges seize the murderer, and detain him till 
he has paid a fine of two hundred crowns. Had it not 
been for this fine, so absurd a law must have long been 
repealed. From this time the two families are in con- 
tinual fears, till some one or other of the murderer's 
family be slain. No reconciliation can take place be- 
tween them, and the quarrel is still occasionally re- 
newed. There have been instances of such family feuds 
lasting forty years. If, in the contests, a man of the 
murdered person's family happens to fall, there can be 
no peace till two others of the murderer's family have 
been slain. 

" I should not have been persuaded of the existence 
of this detestable custom had I not seen instances of it. 
Men, indeed, act everywhere in direct contradiction to 
the principles of religion ; and this species of revenge is 
not merely impious, but even absurd and inhuman. An 
Arabian of distinction, who often visited us at Loheya, 
always wore, even when he was in company, both his 
poniards and a small lance. The reason of this, he told 
us, was, that a man of his family had been murdered, 
and he was obliged to avenge the murder upon a man of 
the inimical family, who was then actually in the city, 
and carried just such another lance. He acknowledged 
to us, that the fear of meeting his enemy, and fighting 
with him, often disturbed his sleep." — Niebuhr's Arabia. 



428 



THE ARABS. 



" The strict honesty of the Bedawin among themselves 
is proverbial, however little regard they may have to 
the right of property in others. If an Arab's camel 
dies on the road, and he cannot remove the load, he 
only draws a circle in the sand round about, and leaves 
it. In this way it will remain safe and untouched for 
months. In passing through a (valley) ... we saw a 




ARABIAN GENTLEMAN. 

black tent hanging on a tree ; Tuweileb said it was 
there when he passed the year before, and would never 
be stolen." — Robinson's Researches. 

In his account of his journey to Mount Sinai, Mr. 
Stephens writes : — " We were moving along a broad 
valley, bounded by ranges of lofty and crumbling 
mountains, forming an immense rocky rampart on each 
side of us ; and rocky and barren as these mountains 



THE ARABS. 



429 



seemed, on their tops were gardens which produced 
oranges, dates, and figs, in great abundance. Here, on 
heights almost inaccessible to any but the children of 
the desert, the Bedouin pitches his tent, pastures his 
sheep and goats, and gains the slender subsistence 
necessary for himself and his family ; and often, looking 




ARAB ENCAMPMENT. 



up the bare side of the mountain, we could see on its 
summit's edge the wild figure of a half-naked Arab, 
with his long matchlock gun in his hand, watching the 
movements of our little caravan. Sometimes, too, a 
i woman was seen stealing across the valley, not a tra- 
j veller or passer-by, but a dweller in the land where no 
smoke curled from the domestic hearth, and no sign of a 
! habitation was perceptible . . . Not far from the track 



430 



THE ARABS. 



we saw, hanging on a thorn-bush, the black cloth of a 
Bedouin's tent, with the pole, ropes, pegs, and everything 
necessary to convert it into a habitation for a family. It 
had been there six months ; the owner had gone to a new 
pasture-ground, and there it had hung, and there it would 
hang, sacred and untouched, until he returned to claim it. 
8 It belongs to one of our tribe, and cursed be the hand 
that touches it,' is the feeling of every Bedouin. Un- 
counted gold might be exposed in the same way ; and 
the poorest Bedouin, though a robber by birth and 
profession, would pass by, and touch it not. On the 
very summit of the mountain, apparently ensconced 
behind it as a wall, his body not more than half visible, 
a Bedouin was looking down upon us ; and one of my 
party, who had long kept his face turned that way, told 
me that there was the tent of his father. I talked with 
him about his kindred and his mountain home, not ex- 
pecting, however, to discover anything of extraordinary 
interest or novelty. The sons of Ishmael have ever 
been the same inhabitants of the desert, despising the 
dwellers under a roof, wanderers and wild men from 
their birth, with their hands against every man, and 
every man's hand against them. The principal and 
distinguishing traits of the Bedouin character have 
long been known ; but as I expected to see them in 
their tents, and be thrown among different tribes, 
claiming friendship from those who were enemies to each 
other, I was curious to know the details of their lives 
and habits ; and I listened with exceeding interest while 
the young Bedouin, with his eyes constantly fixed upon 
it, told me that for more than four hundred years the 
tent of his fathers had been in that mountain. Wild 
and unsettled, robbers and plunderers as they are, they 
have laws which are as sacred as our own ; and the tent, 
and the garden, and the little pasture-ground are trans- 
mitted from father to son for centuries. I have probably 
forgotten more than half of our conversation ; but I re- 
member he told me that all the sons shared equally ; 



THE AEABS. 



that the daughters took nothing ; that the children lived 
together; that if any of the brothers got married, the 
property must be divided ; that the sisters must remain 
with the brothers until they (the sisters) are married. 
I asked hiin, if the brothers did not choose to keep a 
sister with them, what became of her ; but he did not 
understand me. I repeated the question, but still he 




BEDOUIN SHEIKH. 

did not comprehend it, and looked to his companions 
for an explanation. And when at last the meaning of 
my question became apparent to his mind, he answered 
with a look of wonder, 4 It is impossible — she is his own 
| blood.' I pressed my question again and again, in 
various forms, but it was so strange an idea, that to the 
last he did not fully comprehend it, and his answer was 



432 THE ARABS. 

**jtill the same, ' It is impossible — she is his own blood.' 
The Bedouin seldom marries more than one wife." — 
Incidents of Travel. 

u The profaneness of the Bedouin is excessive and 
almost incredible. ' Their mouth is full of cursing 




TEXTS. 



and we were hardly able to obtain from them a single 
answer that did not contain an oath." — Robinson's He- 
searches, vol. i. p. 212. 

" One of our Arabs was named Nasar Allah; I asked 
him where he liked best to live, in the desert or in the 
city. He replied. e in the desert.' I asked 6 why V His 
answer was striking and characteristic ; ' I am a son of 
the desert, I am not a son of the city.'"— Memoirs of 
Rev. Pliny Fisk. 



THE ARABS. 



433 



" Jealousy and suspicion were leading traits in the 
character of the ancient tribes as well as those of the 
present day. When the brothers of Joseph went to 
Egypt, the pretext under which he chose to send them 
to prison was that they were ' spies come to see the 
nakedness of the land.' When the Israelites were 
passing through the desert, they were prevented by a 
similar feeling of suspicion from entering different 
territories. When David, on the death of Nahash, 
king of the Ammonites, sent ambassadors to compliment 
his son Hanun, ' the princes of the children of Amnion 
said t o Hanun, Think est thou that David doth honour 
thy father, that he hath sent comforters unto thee ? 
Are not his servants come unto thee for to search, and 
to overthrow, and to spy out the land V (1 Chron. xix. 3.) 
Hanun listened to this advice, ill-treated the ambas- 
sadors, and sent them away. The experience of our 
own days is a proof that the Arabs of the desert have 
not altered their national dispositions in the slightest 
degree." — Labokde's Mount Sinai, &c. 

" The behaviour of the Arabs to each other, whatever 
may be their conduct to others, presents an amiable 
picture of domestic harmony and comfort ; they are a 
nation of shepherds, and I question much, if in our most 
polished circles, divested of the empty pomp of dress and 
finery, you could meet with more dignity of deportment 
or urbanity of manners than you find in the humble 
tent of the Arab. It appeared to us, that all the good 
amongst them was centred in the lower orders." — Irby 
and Mangles. 

" The history of the Arabs, writes Mr. Keith, so opposite 
in many respects to that of the Jews, but as singular as 
theirs, was concisely and clearly foretold. It was prophe- 
sied concerning Ishmael, ' He will be a wild man ; his 
hand will be against every man, and every man's hand 
against him : and he shall dwell in the presence of all 
his brethren. I will make him fruitful, and will multiply 
him exceedingly, and I will make him a great nation.' 

F F 



434 



THE AEABS. 



The fate of Ishmael is here identified with that of his 
descendants ; and the same character is common to them 
both. The historical evidence of the fact, the universal 
tradition, and constant boast of the Arabs themselves, 
their language, and the preservation for many ages of 
an original rite, derived from him as their predecessor, 
confirm the truth of their descent from Ishmael. The 
body of their nation has escaped the yoke of the most 
powerful monarchies, and the conquerors of many other 
people could never achieve the conquest of Arabia. 
The Arabs subsist to this day in the prophesied and 
primitive wildness of their race, hostile to all, as even 
the unbelieving Gibbon writes, ( armed against man- 
kind.' Plundering is their profession. Their alliance 
is never courted, and can never be obtained ; and all 
that the Turks or Persians, or any of their neighbours, 
can stipulate for from them, is a partial and purchased 
forbearance. Even the British, who have established a 
residence in almost every country, have entered the 
territories of the descendants of Ishmael to accomplish 
only the premeditated destruction of a fort, and to retire. 
They have continued wild or uncivilized, and have 
retained their habits of hostility towards all the rest of 
the human race, though they possessed for three hun- 
dred years countries the most opposite in their nature 
from the mountains of Arabia. The greatest part of 
the temperate zone was included within the limits of the 
Arabian conquests ; and their empire extended from 
India to the Atlantic, and embraced a wider range of 
territory than ever was possessed by the Romans, those 
boasted masters of the world. The period of , their 
conquest and dominion was sufficient, under such cir- 
cumstances, to have changed the manners of any people ; 
but whether in the land of Shinar, or in the valleys of 
Spain, on the banks of the Tigris or the Tagus, in Araby 
the blest, or Araby the barren, the posterity of Ishmael 
have ever retained their prophetic character; they have 
remained, under every change of condition, a wild people; 



THE ARABS. 



435 



their hand has still been against every man, and every 
man's hand against them. The following is the natural 
reflection of Sir B,. K. Porter, on examining the pecu- 
liarities of an Arab tribe : — " On the smallest computa- 
tion, such must have been the manners of those people 
for more than three thousand years ; thus in all things 
verifying the prediction given of Ishmael at his birth. 
. . . And that an acute and active people, surrounded 
for ages by polished and luxurious nations, should, from 
their earliest to their latest times, be still found a wild 
people, dwelling in the presence of all their brethren (as 
we may call these nations) unsubdued and unchange- 
able, is, indeed, a standing miracle, — one of those 
mysterious facts which establish the truth of prophecy." 
■ — See Keith on the Prophecies, pp. 320 — 323. 

We will conclude our account of the Arabs with these 
words of Mr. Hardy : " That which was true concerning 
Arabia in the time of Moses, has been equally so in 
every subsequent period of time ; and will still continue, 
until another prophecy shall be fulfilled, and even 
6 Arabia's desert ranger,' shall bow before the power that 
is supreme : then the horse shall no longer stand ready 
caparisoned to pursue and plunder the passing traveller. 
c Holiness unto the Lord,' shall be inscribed upon its 
bells : then shall Isaac and Ishmael again meet together 
in peace, to worship at one altar the God of their fathers, 
and Jesus Christ, whom he has sent ; — their hand shall 
be with every man, and every man's hand with them," 1 
—Hardy's Notices, p. 18. 

i The hospitality which forms so striking a feature in the character of 
the wandering Arabs, is fully treated of in the " Scripture Manners and 
Customs," to which work the reader is referred. 



436 



THE EECHABITES. 
[Jer. xxxv.] 

" The prophet Jeremiah, when warning the Jews of 
their disobedience to God, adduces the fidelity of the 
Rechabites to the command of their ancestors, as an 
admirable model for their imitation. " For this cause," 
it was said, " Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not want 
a man to stand before me for ever." The fulfilment of 
these words, even to this day, may appear almost incre- 
dible to many ; to the student of prophecy, this fulfilment 
will be full of interest. When the Rev. Mr. Wolf resided 
in Jerusalem, he was one day visited by several men in 
the Arab costume, who had come from the wilderness, 
where they dwelt. These strangers declared themselves 
to be the lineal descendants of the Rechabites, and, like 
their ancestors, had inviolably obeyed the command, 
' Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons for 
ever : neither shall ye build house, nor plant vineyard, 
but all your days ye shall dwell in tents.' Their history 
of themselves and their people, during many ages, was 
clear and simple ; they had ever received and obeyed 
from their fathers, they said, the command of old deli- 
vered ; they had never drank wine, though living in or 
near a country by whose inhabitants it was generally 
drunk ; they had never built houses, or lived in villages, 
hamlets, or towns, but had always dwelt in tents. They 
were fine healthy-looking men, of great simplicity of 
mind and manners, and very intelligent. In the course 
of the conversation, they said, that the existence of their 
people was very ancient ; that, in their traditions, Eeber 
the Kenite was the founder of the tribe, by the hand of 
whose wife Jael, Sisera was slain while reposing in the 
tent. Perhaps the history of the world cannot furnish 
an instance of greater, or as great fidelity and religious 
observance of an ancestral command." — Fisher's Views 
of Syria, the Holy Land, <kc. 



CHAPTER XII. 



MO AB AND AMMO N. 



Ejr-Mqab. (Kerek.) 

An oe Moab — Babbath-Mgab. 

Mount Nebo— Wady Wale — Plains oe Moab— 

RlYER ARNON — DlBON — AROER. 

Medeba. 

Heshbon— Elealeh — Baal -me on. 
piabbah, ob babbath-ammon. 
Euleilments oe Prophecy. 
Brook Jabbok. 




TOWER AND RUINS EH THE LAND OF MOAB. 

BHLMOAB. 

SCRIPTURE NOTICE. 

" In the night Kir of Moab is laid waste, and brought 
to silence.'' — Isa. xv. 1. 

[Tor the prophecies against the lands of Moah and Amnion, see the 
following chapters:-/^ xvii. 2; Jer. xlriii, xlix. 2; 2^-. xxi. 20. 
28, &c. ; xxy. ; Zeph. ii. 9.] ' 

_ " The town of Kerek is built upon the top of a steep 
hill, surrounded on all sides bj a deep and narrow valley, 
the mountains bejond which command the town. In the 
valley, on the west and north sides, are several copious 
springs, on the borders of which the inhabitants cultivate 
some vegetables, and considerable plantations of olive- 



KIR-MOAB. 



439 



trees. The principal of these sources issues from the 
rock in a very romantic spot, where a mosque has been 
built, now in ruins ; this rivulet turns three mills. The 
town is surrounded by a wall, which has fallen down in 
several places ; it is defended by six or seven large 
towers . . . the town had originally only two entrances, 
one to the south and the other to the north ; they are 
dark passages, forty paces in length, cut through the 
rock. At the west end of the town stands a castle, on the 
edge of a deep precipice. It is built in the style of most 
of the Syrian castles, with thick walls and parapets, large 
arched apartments, dark passages with loopholes, and 
subterranean vaults (and was probably built by the 
Saracens to defend the town against the Crusaders). 

" Kerek is inhabited by about 400 Turkish, and 150 
Christian families . . . The place is famous for the hos- 
pitality of its inhabitants, and is filled with guests every 
evening. The following remarkable custom furnishes an 
example of their hospitable manners : — It is considered 
at Kerek an unpardonable meanness to sell butter, or to 
exchange it for any necessary of life • so that, as the 
property of the people chiefly consists in cattle, and 
every family possesses large flocks of goats and sheep, 
which produce great quantities of butter, they supply 
this article very liberally to their guests. If a man 
is known to have sold or exchanged this article, his 
daughters or sisters remain unmarried ; for no one 
would dare to connect himself with the family of a seller 
of butter, the most insulting epithet that can be applied 
to a man of Kerek. This custom is peculiar to the place. 

" Kerek is the see of a Greek bishop, who visits his 
diocese every five or six years. 

"The people of Kerek cultivate the plains in the 
neighbouring mountains, and feed their cattle on the 
uncultivated parts. The produce of their hills is pur- 
chased by the Bedouins, or exchanged for cattle. A 
caravan departs every two months for Jerusalem, with 
sheep, goats, mules, hides, wood, and a little madder, to 



KIR-MOAB. 



sell. In return they take coffee, rice, tobacco, and all 
kinds of articles of dress, and of household furniture. 

" The houses of Kerek have only one floor, and three or 
four are generally built in the same court-yard. The 
roof of the apartment is supported by two arches, over 
which thick branches of trees are laid, and over the latter 
a thin layer of rushes. Along the wall at the extremity 
of the room, opposite to the entrance, are large earthen 
reservoirs of wheat. There is generally no other aperture 




ARAB ON HORSEBACK. 



in these rooms than the door, a circumstance that renders 
them excessively disagreeable in the winter evenings, 
when the door is shut, and a large fire is kindled in the 
middle of the floor. 

" Some of the Arab tribes in the territory of Kerek 
pay a small annual tribute to the sheik of Kerek, as do 
likewise the peasants who cultivate the shores of the Dead 
Sea. The district of Kerek comprises three other 



AR OF MOAB. 



441 



villages, which are under the orders of the sheik. There 
are, besides, a great number of ruined places in the 
district. The mountains about abound with shells, and 
some of the rocks consist entirely of small shells. The 
horses of the inhabitants of Kerek are excellent ; the 
sheikh had the finest I had seen in all Syria ; it was 
famous all over the desert." — Burckhardt. 



AE OF MOA"B„ 

SCRIPTURE NOTICES. 

" The Lord spake unto me, saying, Thou art to pass 
over through Ar, the coast of Moab, this day." — Bent. 
ii. 17, 18 ; ver. 9, 29. 

• c In the night Ar of Moab is laid waste, and brought 
to silence." — Isa. xv. 1. 



" The ruins of Rabba, the ancient Rabbath Moab, are 
about half an hour in circuit, and are situated upon a low 
hill, which commands the whole plain. There are many 
remains of private habitations, but none entire. A temple, 
two reservoirs, several cisterns, an altar, and many frag- 
ments, are the principal remains of the ancient city. 

" We were surprised to find no traces of walls about it. 
We passed the night at a small camp near the ruins ; it 
is the only Christian camp we have ever been in ; they 
told us there were, altogether, five encampments of 
Christians. They were poor people, but connected with 
families in Kerek : occasionally they take their turn in 
the town, and send others to take their's in the camp. A 
deep gully behind their tents led to the Dead Sea. In 
very early times this was the Ar of Moab, mentioned in 
the Old Testament."- — Burckhardt, Irby and Mangles, 
Robinson. 



442 



MOUNT NEBQ— WADY TTALE — PLAIN'S OP MOAE-EITER 
APXOX-DIBOX-ABOEP. 

SCRIPTURE NOTICES. 

" They removed, and pitclied on the other side of 
Anion . . . (which is) the border of Moab, between 
Moab and the Amorites . . . wherefore it is said in the 
book of the wars of the Lord, what he did ... in the 
brooks of Anion. . . " — Xumh. xxi. 13, 14. 

" These are they that were numbered by Moses and 
Eleazar the priest, who numbered the children of Israel 
in the plains of Moab, by Jordan near Jericho. But 
among these there was not a man of them whom Moses 
and Aaron the priest numbered, when they numbered 
the children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai." — Xumh. 
xxvi. 63, 6-1. 

" Aroer, which is by the brink of the river of Arnon." 
—Beat. ii. 36 : ver. 24—36. 

u And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the 
mountain of Xebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over 
against Jericho. And the Lord shewed him all the land 
of Gilead unto Dan : and all Xapthali, and the land of 
Ephraini, and Manasseh ; and all the land of Judah, unto 
the utmost sea : and the south, and the plain of the 
valley of Jericho, the city of palm-trees, unto Zoar. And 
the Lord said unto him, This is the land which I sware 
unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, 
I will give it unto thy seed : I have caused thee to see 
it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither. So 
Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of 
Moab, according to the word of the Lord. And he 
buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against 
Beth-peer : but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto 
this day. And Moses was an hundred and twenty years 
old when he died : his eye was not dim, nor his natural 
force abated. And the children of Israel wept for Moses 
in the plains of Moab thirty days : so the days of 



MOUNT NEBO— -WADY WALE, ETC. 



443 



weeping and mourning for Moses were ended." — -Beut 
xxxiv. 1 — 8. 

"And (Jephthah) smote (the children of Ammon) 
from Aroer, even till thou come to Mimnith," &c. — 
Jaclg. xi. 33. 

" He is gone ... to Dibon ... to weep." — Isa. xv. 2* 
"It shall be, that as a wandering bird cast out of the 
nest, so the daughters of Moab shall be at the fords of 
Arnon." — Isa. xvi. 2. 

" The cities of Aroer are forsaken ; they shall be for 
flocks, which shall lie down, and none shall make them 
afraid." — Isa. xvii. 2. 

" Thou daughter, that dost inhabit Dibon, come down 
from thy glory, and sit in thirst ; for the spoiler of Moab 
shall come upon thee, and he shall destroy thy strong- 
holds. inhabitant of Aroer, stand by the way, and 
espy j ask him that fleeth, and her that escapeth, and 
say, What is done ? . . . Tell ye it in Arnon, that Moab is 
spoiled, and judgment is come . . . upon Dibon." — Jer« 
xlviii. 18 — 22. (Numb. xxi. 30 ; xxxii. 3, 34, &c. 
Josh. xiii. 9, 17, &c.) 



" We reached the banks of the rivulet Zerka Mayn, 
which is not to be confounded with the northern Zerka, 
or Brook Jabbok. It flows in a deep and barren valley, 
through a wood of oleander trees, which form a canopy 
over the rivulet, impenetrable to the meridian sun. The 
red flowers of these trees reflected in the river gave it the 
appearance of a bed of roses, and presented a singular 
contrast with the whitish-gray rocks which border the 
wood on either side. Having crossed the river, we 
ascended the steep side of the mountain Houma, at the 
top of which we saw the summit of Mount Attarous to our 
right ; this is the highest point in the neighbourhood^ 
and seems to be the Mount Nebo of the Scripture. On 
its summit is a heap of stones, overshadowed by a very 
large wild pistachio tree. 



444 MOUNT NEBO — WADY WALE, ETC. 

" We reached the Yalley Wale ... its stream runs in 
a rocky bed, in the holes of which innumerable fish were 
playing. The banks of the rivulet are overgrown with 
willows, oleanders, and tamarisks. 

" In the Yalley of Wale a large party of Arabs were 
encamped, Bedouins of the Arabian desert, who resort 
hither in summer for pasturage. (They are very poor,) 
not having been able to possess themselves of a district 
fertile in pasturage, and being hemmed in by (other 
tribes), they wander about in misery, have very few 
horses, and are not able to feed any flocks of sheep or 
goats. They are obliged to content themselves with 
encamping on spots where the (other tribes) do not choose 
to pasture their cattle. Their only wealth consists in 
camels. Their tents are very miserable ; both men and 
women go almost naked. They have the reputation of 
being very sly and enterprising thieves, a title by which 
they think themselves greatly honoured. 

" After having ascended the mountain on the south 
side of the Wale, we reached a fine plain on its summit. 
All the country to the southward of the Wale, as far as 
the Wady Modjeb, is comprised under the appellation of 
El Koura, a term often applied in Syria to plains. 
El Koura is the i Plains of Moah 9 of the Scripture : the 
soil is very sandy, and not fertile. The Haouran black 
stone is again met with here. The river El Wale rises 
about three hours' distance to the east of the spot where we 
passed it, near which it takes a winding course to the south 
until it approaches the Modjeb, where it again turns 
westwards. The lower part of the river changes its 
name into that of Seyl Heydan, which empties itself into 
the Modjeb at about two hours distant from the Dead 
Sea. 

" At the end of six hours and a half we reached the 
banks of the Wady Modjeb, the Anion of the Scriptures, 
which divides the province of Belka from that of Kerek, 
as it formerly divided the small kingdoms of the Moab- 
ites and the Amorites. Wlien at about one hour's 



MOUNT NEBO — WADY WALE, ETC. 



445 



distance short of the Modjeb I was shown, to the north- 
east of us, the ruins of Diban, the ancient Dihon, 
situated in a low ground of the Koura. 

" On the spot where we reached the high banks of the 
Modjeb, are the ruins of a place called Akeb el Debs. 
We followed, from thence, the top of the precipice at 
the foot of which the river flows, in an eastern direction, 
for a quarter of an hoar, when we reached the ruins of 
Araayr, the Aroer of the Scriptures, standing on the 
edge of the precipice ; from hence a footpath leads down 
to the river. The view which the Modjeb presents is very 
striking : from the bottom, where the river runs through 
a narrow stripe of verdant level about forty yards across, 
the steep and barren banks arise to a great height, 
covered with immense blocks of stone which have rolled 
down from the upper strata, so that when viewed from 
above, the valley looks like a deep chasm, formed by some 
tremendous convulsion of the earth, into which there 
seems no possibility of descending to the bottom. The 
distance from the edge of one precipice to that of the 
opposite one is about two miles in a straight line. 

" We descended the northern bank of the Wady by a 
footpath which winds among the masses of rock ; dis- 
mounting on account of the steepness of the road, as we 
had been obliged to do in the two former valleys which 
we had passed in this day's march ; this is a very dan- 
gerous pass, as robbers often waylay travellers here, con- 
cealing themselves behind the rocks, until their prec- 
is close to them . . . There are three fords across the 
Arnon, of which we took that most frequented. I had 
never felt such suffocating heat as I experienced in 
this valley, from the concentrated rays of the sun and 
their reflection from the rocks ... (A few minutes) 
above the river I saw on the road-side a heap of frag- 
ments of columns. A bridge has been thrown across 
the stream in this place, of one high arch, and well 
built, but it is now no longer of any use. At a short 
distance from the bridge are the ruins of a mill. The 



-446 



MOUNT NEBO WADY WALE, ETC. 



river., which flows in a rocky bed, was almost dried up j 
but its bed bears evident marks of its impetuosity 
during the rainy season, the shattered fragments of large 
pieces of rock which had been broken from the banks 
nearest the river, and carried along by the torrent, being 
deposited at a considerable height above the present 
channel of the stream. A few oleanders and willow-trees 
grow on its banks." — Burckhardt. 

" We arrived upon the brink of the ancient Anion, 
now Valley Modjeb ; on looking down, it has more the 
appearance of a precipice than a road, and although the 
Roman way coincides with the modern track very near 
to the brink, and again about half way down it, it must 
have been in a very different state, at least from that by 
which we descended, and which is not only extremely 
steep, but so interrupted with rocks and stones, that we 
were obliged to dismount and lead our horses full half 
way down the descent. In this rocky space there is 
only here and there a straggling turpentine-tree \ about 
half way the declivity is more earthy and shelving ; 
hereabouts we recovered the Roman highway. It is not 
here, as above, completely paved ; but at regular inter- 
vals a line of stones is carried across the road in the 
manner of a step, to prevent the washing away of the 
earth from above, and to serve as a resting-place in 
the descent. On the right hand of the road, a shallow 
bank of considerable size, walled round with thick and 
good masonry, is placed on the side of the hill ; and 
below it, at only a few yards' distance, are the remains 
of a large square building, which we took to be a Roman 
military station ; there was another above, on the brink 
of the precipice. We found several milestones • all 
those which were legible were of the time of the Roman 
Emperor Trajan. The valley of the Anion is less 
shrubby than that of most other streams in this country, 
which is probably ascribable to the violence and fre- 
quency of its torrents. There are, however, a few 
tamarisks, and here and there an oleander growing 



MOUNT NEBO — WADT WALE, ETC. 



447 



about it ; it is not more than three paces wide where the 
Roman road comes down upon the stream, and there 
remains a high single arch . . . the remnants of the 
other arches of the bridge have all disappeared. The 
descent occupied one hour and a half. In our ascent up 
the opposite side, we followed mostly the ancient road, 
and found some more Eoman milestones ; one of Mar- 
cus Aurelius. We found the road on this side as steep 
as it was on the other, and it was remarkable in this 
pass, that from either side, looking to the other, there 
appeared no possible mode of ascent. We had now 
passed from the land of the Moabites into that of the 
Ammonites, (which) we found a plane down, of a smoother 
and evener turf than that of Moab, and with much 
fewer stones scattered over it. We soon recovered 
the ancient road, and reached Dibon, the ruins of 
which, though considerable, present nothing of interest. 
In the afternoon we arrived at a camp in the Wady 
Wale, pitched on the banks of the river, which this 
year seems to have swollen to a prodigious degree ; 
the oleanders are here more numerous than we had 
ever seen them ; some, which is very rare, bore a white 
flower. The rushing of the waters had rooted many 
of them up, and the whole were thrown aslant by the 
course of the torrent, the marks of which were seen 
upon them to the height of fifteen feet. On the left 
bank stands a stone about ten feet high ; it has been set 
up on end by art. We supposed it to be one of those 
ancient bound-stones of which we read in Scripture, 
There is in this small valley another rude work, that 
may be referred to a remote period ; a knoll, of very 
moderate height, rises detached near the centre of the 
valley, upon the right bank of the rivulet. On its 
summit are the remains of a very large quadrangular 
platform, constructed of rude stones laid together with- 
out cement. It is possible that this may be one of the 
altars of the high places ! There is a tomb at the top, 
with paltry Bedouin votive offerings hanging about it. 



448 



MEDEBA. 



About a mile lower down the valley, are the remains of 
a Eoman bridge, of five arches ; . all are fallen." — Irby 
and Maxgles. 



MEDEBA. 
SCRIPTURE NOTICE. 

" Moab shall howl over Nebo, and over Medeba." — 
Isa. xv. 2. 

[Numb. xxi. 30 ; Josh. xiii. 9, 16 ; 1 Chron. xix. 7 J 



" We reached Madeba, built upon a round hill ; this 
is the ancient Medeba, but there is no river near it. It 
is at least half an hour in circumference ; I observed 
many remains of the walls of private houses, con- 
structed with blocks of silex ; but not a single edifice is 
standing. There is a large birket, which, as there is no 
spring at Madeba, might still be of use to the Bedouins, 
were the surrounding ground cleared of the rubbish, to 
allow the water to flow into it ; but such an under- 
taking is far beyond the views of the wandering Arab. 
On the west side of the town are the foundations of a 
temple, built with large stones, and apparently of great 
antiquity. 

" We returned from Madeba towards the great road, 
where we fell in with a large party of Bedouins, on foot, 
who were going to rob by night an encampment, at least 
fourteen hours distant from hence. Each of them had 
a small bag of flour on his back, some were armed with 
onus and others with sticks. I was afterwards informed 
that they drove off above a dozen camels belonging to 
the Beni Szakher. They pointed out to us the place 
where their tribe was encamped, and as we were then 
looking out for some place where we might get a supper, 
of which we stood in great need, we followed the direc- 
tion they gave us. In turning a little westwards we 



HESHBON ELEALEH — BAAL-MEON. 



449 



entered the mountainous country which forms the eastern 
border of the valley of the Jordan, and descending in a 
south-west direction along the windings of a Wady, we 
arrived at a large encampment of Bedouins, at the end 
of ten hours and a half from our setting out in the 
morning. We passed on the road several spots where 
the Bedouins cultivate doura." — Bitrckhardt. 

" Y'f e proceeded to a great encampment (of Arabs) 
near Madeba. We arrived at nightfall ; there were 
more than two hundred tents scattered over a great 
extent of ground ; we alighted at that of the chief, 
which was at least a hundred feet long ... At Madeba, 
the only object of interest was an immense tank . . ." — 
Irby and Mangles. 



HESHBON— ELEALEH— BAAX-MEON. 
SCRIPTURE NOTICES. 

" The children of Reuben built . . . Baal-meon." — 
Numb, xxxii. 37, 38. (ver. 3.) 

" Heshbon shall cry, and Elealeh ; their voice shall 
be heard even unto Jahaz."— Isa. xv. 4. 

ee The fields of Heshbon languish ... I will water 
thee with my tears, Heshbon and Elealeh ; for the 
shouting for thy summer fruits, and for thy harvest is 
fallen." — Isa. xvi. 8, 9. 

" Heshbon was the city of Sihon the king of the 
Amorites." — Numb. xxi. 26. (Read from ver. 25 — 31.) 

" The fish-pools in Heshbon." — Cant. vii. 4. 

[Judges xi. 19 ; Net), ix. 22 ; Jer. xlviii. 34 ; xlix. 3.] 

" We came to the ruins of El Aal, probably the 
| Elealeh of the Scriptures ; it stands upon the summit of 
a hill, and takes its name from its situation, Aal mean- 
ing ' the high.' It commands the whole plain, and the 

G G 



450 



KABBAH, OR RABBATH AMNION. 



yiew from the top of the hill is very extensive. El Aal 
was surrounded by a well-built wall of which some 
parts still remain. Among the ruins are a number of 
large cisterns, fragments of walls, and the foundations 
of houses ; but nothing worth particular notice. The 
plain around is alternately chalk and Hint. 

" Heshbon stands upon a hill, bearing south-west from 
El Aal. Here are the ruins of a large ancient town, 
together with the remains of some edifices built with 
small stones ; a few broken shafts of columns are still 
standing j a number of deep wells cut in the rock, and 
a large reservoir of water for the summer supply of the 
inhabitants. At about three-quarters of an hour south- 
east of Heshbon, are the ruins of Myoun, the ancient 
Baal-meon, of the tribe of Reuben.'' — Burckhardt. 

u Passing upwards out of the valley of Wale, and over 
the foot of Mount Attarous, we u entered a fertile plain 
of corn, and stopped at a camp near the ruins of Mayn, 
which both the name and the neighbouring hot waters 
seem to identify with the Baal-Meon of Scripture • it 
stands on a considerable eminence. A number of ruined 
sites were visible from our camp, and amongst the rest, 
Heshbon. 

" A man brought some Heshbon wheat to parch, and 
to our surprise we observed the ears of an unusual size, 
one of them exceeding in dimensions two of the ordi- 
nary sort, and on one stalk." — Irby and Mangles. 



B ABB AH, OB RABBATH AMMON (PHILADELPHIA, AMMAN). 

¥HLFELM£NTS 01 PROPHECY. 
SCRIPTURE NOTICES. 

" Oxly Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant 
of giants ; behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron ; 
is it not in Rabbath of the children of Amnion?" — 
Deut iii. 11. 



KABBAH, OE RABBATH AMMON. 



451 



cc And Joab fought against Eabbah of the children of 
Ammon, and took the royal city. And Joab sent mes- 
sengers to David, and said, I have fought against Kab- 
bah, and have taken the city of waters." — 2 Sam. xii. 
26, 27. (Read to ver. 31.) 

" Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will 
cause an alarm of war to be heard in Rabbah of the 
Ammonites, and it shall be a desolate heap, and her 
daughters shall be burned with fire." — Jer. xlix. 2. 

" I will make Kabbah a stable for camels, and the 
I Ammonites a couching-place for flocks ; and ye shall 
know that I am the Lord." — Ezek. xxv. 5. (Read from 
I verse 1 — 7, and ver. 10 ; also ch. xxi. 20, 28, &c.) 

" I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, and it 
shall devour the palaces thereof, &c." — Amos. i. ]4. 



" The country anciently peopled by the Ammonites, 
is now possessed partly by the Arabs and partly by the 
Turks. It is situated to the east of Palestine, and is 
naturally one of the most fertile provinces of Syria, and 
was, for many ages, one of the most populous. The Am- 
monites often invaded the land of Israel, and at one 
period, united with the Moabites, they retained posses- 
sion of a great part of it, and grievously oppressed it for 
eighteen years. Jephthah took twenty of their cities, 
but they continued to harass the borders of Israel, and 
their capital was besieged, and their country rendered 
tributary by the forces of David. They regained their 
independence, till Jotham subdued them, and exacted 
from them an annual tribute of one hundred talents, 
and thirty thousand quarters of wheat and barley ; yet 
they soon contested again with their ancient enemies, 
and exulted in the miseries that befel them, when Ne- 
buchadnezzar led the Jews into captivity ! Nebuzar- 
adan, however, captain of the king of Babylon, marched 
against the Ammonites, in consequence of the part they 
had taken in the murder of Gedaliah, the king's governor 



452 



KABBAH, OR RABBATH AMMON. 



in the land of Israel, and having destroyed Kabbah, 
their royal city, and by fire and sword made great deso- 
lation in their country, he carried their king, princes, 
and most of the chief of their land, into captivity." 
Prideaux, toI. i. p. 85. 

" Ptolemy Philadelphia, king of Egypt, rebuilt Kab- 
bah, and called it Philadelphia, but it was again taken 
by the Syrians. But notwithstanding all the successive 
oppressions the Ammonites underwent from the Assy- 
rians, Egyptians, and Syrians, Amnion was a highly 
productive and populous country, when the Ptomans 
became masters of all the provinces of Syria, — and even 
so late as a.d. 632, it was covered with a line of forts, 
and its cities were secure from a surprise by the solid 
structure of their walls, and all travellers bear witness 
to the fact of the country having necessarily been well 
cultivated to have given subsistence to the inhabitants 
of so many towns now in ruins. 

"This country is now a vast desert, presenting only 
ruins to the traveller's eye. The extortions of the Turks, 
and the depredations of the Arabs, keep it in perpetual 
desolation, and make it a spoil to the heathen, while the 
far greater part of the country is uninhabited, and 
abandoned to the wandering Arabs. There are, however, 
valleys and tracts throughout it, covered with a fine coat 
of verdant pasture, and here the Bedouins pasture their 
camels and sheep. 

" We entered a broad valley, which brought us in 
half an hour to the ruins of Amman . . . The town 
lies along the banks of a river called Moiet Amman, 
which has its source in a pond, at a few hundred paces- 
from the south-western end of the town ; I was informed 
that this river is lost in the earth, one hour below the 
pond, that it issues again, and takes another name; then 
disappears a second time, and rises again near a ruin ; 
beyond which it is said to be lost for a third time, till 
it reappears near the river Zerka, into which it empties 
itself. The river of ximmon runs in a valley bordered 



RABBAH, OR RABBATH AMMON. 



453 



on both sides by barren hills of flint, which advance on 
the south side close to the edge of the stream. 

" The edifices which still remain to attest the former 
splendour of Amman are the following :— a spacious 
church, built with large stones, and having a steeple of 
the shape of those which I saw in several ruined towns 
in the Hauran. There are wide arches in the walls of 
the church — a small building with niches, probably 
a temple — a temple, of which a part of the side walls, 
and a niche in the back wall are remaining ; there are 
no ornaments either on the walls, or about the niche. 
A curved wall along the water side with many niches : 
before it was a row of large columns, of which four remain, 
but without capitals ; I conjecture this to have been a 
kind of stoa, or public walk ; it does not communicate 
with any other edifice. A high arched bridge over the 
river ; this appears to have been the only bridge in the 
town, although the river is not fordable in the winter. 
The banks of the river, as well as its bed, are paved, but 
the pavement has been in most places carried away by 
the violence of the winter torrent. The stream is full 
of small fish. On the south side of the river is a fine 
theatre, the largest that I have seen in Syria. It has 
forty rows of seats ; between the tenth and eleventh 
from the bottom occurs a row of eight boxes or small 
apartments, capable of holding about twelve spectators 
each j fourteen rows higher, a similar row of boxes 
occupies the place of the middle seats, and at the top of 
all there is a third tier of boxes excavated in the rocky 
side of the hill, upon the declivity of which the theatre 
is built. On both wings of the theatre are vaults. In 
front was a colonnade, of which eight Corinthian columns 
yet remain . . . 

" This colonnade must have had at least fifty columns. 
, The workmanship is not of the best Roman times . . . 
I Nearly opposite the theatre, to the northward of the river, 
i are the remains of a temple, the posterior wall of which 
i only remains ... At some distance farther down the 



454 



RABBAH, OR RABBATH AMMON. 



Wady, stand a few small columns, probably the remains 
of a temple. The plain between the river and the 
northern hills is covered with ruins of private buildings, 
extending from the church down to the columns ; but 
nothing of them remains, except the foundations and 
some of the door-posts. On the top of the highest of 
the northern hills stands the castle of Amman, a very 
extensive building \ it was an oblong square, filled with 
buildings, of which about as much remains as there does 
of the private dwellings in the lower town. The castle 
walls are thick, and denote a remote antiquity : large 
blocks of stone are piled up without cement, and still 
hold together as well as if they had been recently 
placed ; the greater part of the wall is entire, it is placed 
a little below the crest of the hill, and appears not to 
have risen much above the level of its summit. Within 
the castle are several deep cisterns. 

" There is also another square building, in complete 
preservation, constructed in the same manner as the 
castle wall ; it is without ornaments, and the only open- 
ing into it is a low door, over which was an inscription, 
now defaced. Near this building are the traces of a 
large temple ; several of its broken columns are lying on 
the ground ; they are the largest I saw at Amman, 
some of them being three feet and a half in diameter ; 
their capitals are of the Corinthian order. 

" On the north side of the castle is a ditch cut in the 
rock, for the better defence of this side of the hill, 
which is less steep than the others. 

" I am sensible that the above description of Amman, 
though it notices all the principal remains, is still very 
imperfect ; but a traveller who is not accompanied with 
an armed force can never hope to give very satisfactory 
accounts of the antiquities of the deserted countries. My 
guides had observed some fresh horse-dung near the 
water side, which greatly alarmed them, as it was a 
proof that some Bedouins were hovering about. They 
insisted upon my returning immediately, and refusing 



KABBAH, OR RABBATH AMMON. 



455 



to wait for me a moment, rode off while I was still oc- 
cupied in writing a few notes upon the theatre. I 
hastily mounted the castle-hill, ran over its ruins, 
and galloping after my guides, joined them at half- 
an-hour from the town. When I reproached them for 
their cowardice, they replied, that I certainly could not 
suppose that, for the twelve piastres I had agreed to 
give them, they should expose themselves to the danger 
of being stripped, and of losing their horses, from a mere 
foolish caprice of mine to write down the stones. I 
have often been obliged to yield to similar reasoning. 
A true Bedouin, however, never abandons his companion 
in this manner : whoever, therefore, wishes to travel in 
these parts, and to make accurate observations, will do 
well to take with him as many horsemen as may secure 
him against any strolling party of robbers." — Bukck 

RAB.DT. 

" Rabbah Ammon, the chief city of the Ammonites, 
was situated on each side of the borders of a plen- 
tiful stream, encircled by a fruitful region ; strong by 
nature, and fortified by art, and endured for more than 
a thousand years. Yet it is now truly a desolate heap, 
covered with the ruins of private buildings, of which 
nothing remains except the foundations and some of the 
door-posts. Its ancient name is still preserved by the 
Arabs." — Keith. 

Lord Lindsay gives the following account of his visit 
to Ammon. (C We descended," he writes, " a precipitous 
strong slope into the valley of Ammon, and crossed a 
beautiful stream, bordered by a strip of stunted grass. 
The hills on both sides were rocky and bare, and pierced 
with excavations and natural caves. Here at a turning 
in the narrow valley, commence the antiquities of Am- 
mon. It was situated on both sides of the stream, — 
the dreariness of its present aspect is quite indescribable, 
it looks like the abode of Death. The valley stinks 
with dead camels ; one of them was rotting in the 
stream ; and though we saw none among the ruins, they 



456 



KABBAH. OR RABBATH AMMON. 



were absolutely covered in every direction with their 
dung. That morning's ride would have convinced a 
sceptic. How runs the prophecy ! ' I will make Kab- 
bah a stable for camels, and the Ammonites a couching 
place for flocks, and ye shall know that I am the 
Lord.' 

" Nothing but the croaking of frogs, and screams of 
wild birds, broke the silence as we advanced up this 
valley of desolation. We examined the ruins more at 
detail the following morning. It was a bright and 
cheerful day ; but still the valley is a very dreary spot, 
even when the sun shines brightest. Vultures were 
garbaging on a camel, as we slowly rode back through 
the glen. Ammon is now quite deserted, except by the 
Bedouins, who water their flocks at its little river. Re- 
ascending the slope, we met sheep and goats by thou- 
sands, and camels by hundreds, coming down to drink. 
' Ammon shall be a desolation, and Kabbah of the 
Ammonites shall be a desolate heap,' etc." — Lord 
Lixdsay's Letters from the Holy Land. 

u Xo trace of the Ammonites now remains, — none are 
now called by their name, or claim descent from them, 
— though the Jews, their hereditary enemies, continue 
a distinct people. ' Amnion has perished out of the 
countries, is cut off from the people, and not remem- 
bered among the nations. ' " — Keith. 

" We have now before us the large enclosed ruin, 
called the Castle of Amman ; which appeared, indeed, 
more like a fortress, and occupied entirely the summit 
of a small steep hill. . . . TVe went up over the steep 
ascent to this ruined mass of buildings, passing large 
heaps of fallen stones in the way ; and at length reached 
the eastern gateway, by which we entered . . . 

" We came to an open square court with arched 
recesses on each side . . . The recesses in the northern 
and southern walls were originally open passages, and 
had arched doorways facing each other ; but the first of 
these we found wholly closed, and the last was partially 



R ABB AH, OR RABBATH AMMON. 



457 



filled up, leaving only a narrow passage just sufficient 
for the entrance of one man, and of the goats which 
their Arab keepers drive in here occasionally for shelter 
during the night . . . 

" We descended over the southern brow of the hill 
on which the fortress stood . . . Passing out of the 
southern gate, . . . the valley beneath it opened on our 
view, and displayed at once a profusion of magnificent 
ruins ... I remained stationary, to enjoy, in stillness 
and silence, the prospect which had burst so suddenly 
and so agreeably on my view. The night was now set 
in, and the young moon scarcely afforded sufficient 
light to guide us on our way . . . We crossed the 
stream of the valley, and ascended the opposite hill, 
where we found, encamped in a hollow behind the top 
of the theatre, a tribe of Bedouins ; and with these we 
made our halt for the night . . . (lying) clown with the 
young goats and sheep around the embers of the evening 
fire." 

" Amman, Thursday, March 1. — During the night, 
I was almost entirely prevented from sleeping by the 
bleating of flocks, the neighing of mares, the barking of 
dogs, &c. 

" The valley of Amman is extremely narrow . . . 
being bounded on the north by the hill on which the 
fort stands, and on the south by the hill on which the 
theatre is built. The valley runs nearly east and west, 
and is traversed by a fine clear brook of excellent 
water ; in which are, to this day, abundance of fish, 
some of them of a silvery appearance, and upwards of a 
foot in length. On each side of this winding stream 
are remains of noble edifices." — Buckingham's Arab 
Tribes, 



458 



BROOK JABBOK. 




BROOK JABBOK. 
SCBIPTUEE NOTICES. 

" And (Jacob) passed over the ford Jabbok." — Gen. 
xxxii. 22. 

" Israel . . . possessed (the land of Sihon king of the 
Amorites) from Arnon unto Jabbok, even unto the chil- 
dren of Ammon." — Numb.xxi. 24.; Dent. iii. 16. 



The Jabbok of the Scriptures is to be found at the 
present day in the stream called Zerka, which divides 
the district of Moerad from the country called El Belka. 
It is a small river, and empties itself into the Jordan. 
Its banks are overgrown with oleander. 



459 



CONCLUSION. 

We have now taken a brief survey of the Gentile 
World. And what are the reflections thereby sug- 
gested ? Are they not these — That God has been most 
merciful, and man most ungrateful; and that for the 
sins of the people of the lands we have been mentally 
traversing, is judgment fallen upon them, and God hath 
stretched out upon them "the line of confusion, and 
the stones of emptiness 1 " 

Oh that we were wise ! that we would consider this ! 

England has been as a crown of glory in the hand of 
the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of our God. 
A brighter light has shone on her than on any other 
land on the face of the whole earth ; and if, through 
her ingratitude, that light be turned to darkness, how 
great will the darkness be ! Let not the Christian 
patriot think that, however humble his station, or 
small his influence, he can do nothing to avert so heavy 
a doom from the country that he loves. 

Had Sodom held within her guilty walls ten righteous 
men, she had been spared at Abraham's intercession ! 

And are there not in England ten times ten thousand 
righteous men, whose prayers might blunt the edge of 
Jehovah's vengeance, and bring down blessings on a 
sinful land ? 

Then, peradventure, amid the wreck of kingdoms, 
England yet might stand ! Then, though not wholly 
unpunished, she would not be given over unto death ! 

"Fear God, and give gloey to Him, 
Foe, the houe of His judgment is come." 



APPENDIX. 




NINEVEH. 

The researches of Mr. Layard appear to prove almost 
beyond doubt, that the mounds of Nimroud represent the 
Nineveh of most ancient times. The city was originally 
founded on the site now occupied by these mounds, and 
from its immediate vicinity to the place of junction of two 
large rivers, the Tigris and the Zab, no better position 
could have been chosen. It is probable, that the great 
edifice recently excavated in the north-west corner of the 
principal mound, was the temple or palace, or perhaps 



462 



APPENDIX. 



both : a park or paradise, as it was called, was attached to 
the palace, in which game was preserved for the kind's 
diversion. Future monarchs added to the first building, 
and another palace rose, of which the ruins have been dis- 
covered in the centre of the mound, while in the course of 
time, various edifices were erected on the sites now marked 
by the mounds of Baasheikha, Kalah Sherghat, Khorsabad 
and Karamles. Then came the great palace at Koyunjuk 
(opposite Mosul), which must have exceeded its predeces- 
sors in extent and magnificence. 

The city had now attained the dimensions assigned to it 
by the book of Jonah. If we take the four great mounds 
of Nimroudj Koyunjuk, Khorsabad and Karamles as the 
corners of a square, it will be found that its four sides cor- 
respond pretty accurately with the sixty miles, or three 
days' journey (twenty miles is the day's journey of the 
East) of the prophet. Within this space there are many 
large mounds, including the principal ruins in Assyria, and 
the face of the country is strewed with the remains of pot- 
tery, bricks, &c. The space between the great public 
buildings was probably occupied by private houses, stand- 
ing in the midst of gardens; but these dwellings being con- 
structed almost entirely of sun-dried bricks, soon fell into 
decay. There is, however, sufficient evidence of their 
former existence, small mounds being everywhere visible ; 
and scarcely a husbandman drives his plough over the 
soil, without exposing the vestiges of former habitations. 
There must also have been pasture land for the cattle con- 
tained within the walls. 

Existing ruins show that Xineveh acquired its greatest 
extent in the time of the kings mentioned in Scripture. It 
was then that Jonah visited it, and that reports of its size 
and magnificence were carried to the West, and gave rise 
to the traditions from which the Greek authors mainly de- 
rived the information handed down to us. 

It is indeed possible that there was more than one 
city of the same name, and that, like Babylon, it was re- 
built on a new site, after having been once destroyed. In 
this case Ximroud and Koyunjuk may represent cities of 
different periods, but of the same name. 

The walls of the Assyrian cities were of extraordinary 
size and height, and from the remains which still exist, it 
is highly probable that they exceeded in thickness any 
modern walls. The present remains do not, however, 



APPENDIX. 



463 



enclose the space attributed to either Babylon or Nineveh, 
but form quadrangular enclosures of more moderate dimen- 
sions, which appear to have been attached to the royal 
dwellings, or were, perhaps, intended as places of refuge in 
case of siege. Such are the remains of Nimroud, Koyun- 
juk and Khorsabad ; and those on the left bank of the 
river Euphrates, near Hillah, the site of the Babylon of 
Nebuchadnezzar. On examining the mounds, they are 
found to be regularly constructed of unbaked bricks. In 
height they have, of course, greatly decreased ; but f the 
breadth of their base proves their magnitude : and that 
they were of great strength, and able to resist the engines 
of war then in use, we learn from the fact that Nineveh 
sustained a siege for nearly three years in the time of Sar- 
danapalus, and could only be taken by the combined ar- 
mies of the Persians and Babylonians when the river had 
overflowed its bed and had carried away a part of the walk 
At certain distances in the wall there were gates, some- 
times flanked, as at Koyunjuk, by towers adorned with 
sculptures, and sometimes formed by gigantic figures, such 
as the winged bulls and lions. An entrance of this kind 
has recently been exposed to view. 

The materials of the walls were generally bricks of clay, 
dried in the sun, sometimes cased with stone. The inha- 
bitants could thus raise their defences rapidly, without 
great toil, or the difficulty of transport from distant places. 

Discovery of an Assyrian Edifice in the Mound of Koyunjuk, 
By M. Botta. 

The small party employed by Monsieur Botta were at 
work on Koyunjuk, when a peasant from a distant village 
visited the spot. Seeing that any fragments of brick and 
alabaster uncovered by the workmen were carefully pre- 
served, he advised them to try the mound on which his 
village was built, and in which, he declared, many such 
things had been exposed on digging for the foundations of 
new houses . . . On repairing to this village, called Khor- 
sabad, and opening a wide trench, a chamber was disco- 
vered, covered with sculptured representations of battles, 
sieges, and similar events. M. Botta had discovered an 
Assyrian edifice, the first, probably, which h ad been ex~ 
posed to the view of man since the fall of the Assyrian 
empire, M. Botta was not long in perceiving that the 



464 



APPENDIX. 



building which had been partly excavated, owed its destruc- 
tion to fire: and the sculptured slabs reduced to lime on 
exposure to air, rapidly fell to pieces. The records of vic- 
tories and triumphs, which had long attested the power 
and swelled the pride of the Assyrian kings, and had re- 
sisted the ravages of ages, were now passing away for 
ever. Almost all that was first discovered thus speedily 
disappeared, and the same fate has befallen nearly every- 
thing subsequently discovered at Khorsabad. 

This foretold destruction by fire is repeatedly mentioned 
in all the accounts of Nineveh. In one part the fire had 
raged so furiously that there was not even time to make a 
drawing of an alabaster sphinx before the whole fell to 
pieces. 

Mounds of Kimroud. 

The external aspect of the ruins of Nimroud differs 
according to the change of season. In spring the 
mounds are clothed with rich verdure, aud the fertile 
meadows around them are covered with flowers of every 
hue. Here and there fragments of bricks and pottery tell 
that the former dwellings of man are hidden beneath this 
luxuriant vegetation. A long line of narrow mounds still 
retain the appearance of walls or ramparts. At some 
distance flows the river ; at this time of year its waters are 
swollen by the melting snows on the Armenian hills, and 
are broken into a thousand foaming whirlpools by an 
artificial barrier built across the stream. The Arabs say 
that Nimrod built a great dam here, and that before the 
winter rains, its huge stones, united by cramps of iron, 
may be seen above the surface of the stream. It was, in 
fact, one of those undertakings of a great people, intended 
to ensure a constant supply of water to the canals, which 
spread like net-work over the surrounding country, and 
which were considered ancient even in the days of Alexander 
the Great. With a change of season, however, comes a 
change over the face of the scene at Nineveh. The Arabs' 
black tents are gone, the flowers gone; the whole appears 
a barren waste, over which the whirlwind sweeps, dragging 
with it clouds of sand. The pottery and bricks are now 
seen to be strewed on all sides. This is the appearance in 
November. 



APPENDIX. 



465 



First Excavations and Discoveries. 

Here Mr. Layard commenced the excavations, which 
have terminated in bringing to light the long buried won- 
ders of Nineveh. Little by little a magnificent palace was 
discovered, with its sculptures and paintings, and a multi- 
tude of interesting remains, of which it is impossible here 
to insert the minute description. The discovery of the 
gigantic head of a winged human-headed lion, the figure 
in which the Assyrians embodied their ideas of a Supreme 
Being, was one of the most interesting. This discovery 
has been already alluded to. Other similar magnificent spe- 
cimens of Assyrian art were found in the most perfect and 
astonishing preservation. 

" I used to contemplate for hours," writes Mr. Layard, 
" these mysterious emblems, and muse over their intent 
and history. What more noble forms could have ushered 
the people into the temple of their gods ? What more sub- 
lime images could have been borrowed from nature, by 
men who sought, unaided by the Light of revealed religion, 
to embody their conception of the wisdom, power and 
ubiquity of a Supreme Being ? 

" They could find no better type oi intellect and know- 
ledge than the head of the man ; of strength, than the body 
of the lion ; of rapidity of motion, than the wings of the 
bird. Through the portals which these winged human- 
headed lions guarded, kings, priests and warriors had 
borne sacrifices to their altars. For twenty-five centuries 
they had been hidden from the eye of man, and they now 
stood forth once more in their ancient majesty. But how 
changed was the scene around them ! The luxury and 
civilisation of a mighty nation had given place to the 
wretchedness and ignorance of a few half-barbarous tribes. 
The wealth of temples and the riches of great cities, had 
been succeeded by ruins and shapeless heaps of earth. 
Above the spacious hail in which they stood, the plough 
had passed and the corn now waved. Egypt has monu- 
ments no less ancient and no less wonderful; but they 
have stood forth for ages to testify her early power and 
renown ; whilst those before me had but now appeared to 
bear witness in the words of the prophet, that once 1 the 
Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and 
with a shadowing shroud of an high stature, and his top 
was among the thick boughs . . . his height was exalted 

H H 



466 



APPENDIX. 



above all the trees of the field, and his boughs were multi- 
plied, and his branches became long, because of the multi- 
tude of waters when he shot forth. All the fowls of heaven 
made their nests in his boughs, and under his branches did 
all the beasts of the field bring forth their young, and 
under his shadow dwelt all great nations.' . . . Now is 
' Nineveh a desolation and dry like a wilderness, and flocks 
lie down in the midst of her: 1 all the beasts of the nations, 
both the cormorant and bittern, lodge in the upper lintels 
of it ; their voice sings in the windows, and desolation is 
in the thresholds.' " 

On Sundays and holidays the Christian workmen (these 
were the Nestorian Christians) assembled in the mound or 
in the trenches for prayer, kneeling reverentially under the 
great bulls, and celebrating the praises of Him whose tem- 
ples the worshippers of those frowning idols had destroyed 
— whose power they had mocked. Surely this was the 
triumph of truth over Paganism. 

The ancient records of the Assyrians were written upon 
cylinders. One of these (now in the British Museum), 
with about sixty lines of writing on each side, in such 
minute characters that the aid of a magnifying glass is 
required in reading it, was used as a candlestick by a 
respectable Turcoman family living in the village, on the 
mound of Nebbi Yunus. A hole in the centre of one of 
the ends received the tallow candle ! 



The Plain of Nimroud? 

" The middle of March in Mesopotamia is the brightest 
epoch of spring. A new change had come over the face of 
the plain of Nimroud. Its pasture lands, known as the 
* Jaif',' are renowned for their rich and luxuriant herbage. 
In times of quiet, the studs of the Pasha and of the Turk- 
ish authorities, with the horses of the cavalry and the in- 
habitants of Mosul, are sent here to graze. Day by day 
they arrived in long lines. The plain, as far as the eye 
could reach, was studded with . . . tents. Flowers of every 
hue enamelled the meadows ; not thinly scattered over the 
grass as in northern climes, but in such thick and gather- 

(1) Mr. Layard speaks of the Arabs who were pasturing t/icir flocks in the 
neighbourhood of Nimroud. 

(2) See Lavard's Nineveh. 



APPENDIX. 



467 



ing clusters that the whole plain seemed a patchwork of 
many colours. The dogs, as they returned from hunting, 
issued from the long grass dyed red, yellow or blue, ac- 
cording to the flowers through which they had last forced 
their way. 

" I encamped on the edge of a large pond on the out- 
skirts of Nimroud. Said accompanied me ; and Salah, his 
young wife, a bright-eyed Arab girl, built up his shed, and 
watched and milked his diminutive flock of sheep and goats. 
When I returned in the evening after the labour of the day, 
I often sat at the door of my tent . . . Over the pure, 
cloudless sky was the glow of the last light. The great 
mound threw its dark shadow far across the plain. In the 
distance, and beyond the Zab, Keshaf, another venerable 
ruin, rose indistinctly into the evening mist. Still more 
distant, and still more indistinct, was a solitary hill over- 
looking the ancient city of Arbela. The Kurdish moun- 
tains, whose snowy summits cherished the dying sun- 
beams, yet struggled with the twilight. The bleating of 
sheep, and lowing of cattle, at first faint, became louder as 
the flocks returned from their pastures, and wandered 
amongst the tents. Girls hurried over the greensward to 
seek their fathers' cattle, or crouched down to milk those 
which had returned alone to their well remembered folds. 
Some were coming from the river, bearing the replenished 
pitcher on their heads or shoulders ; others were carrying 
the heavy load of long grass which they had cut in the 
meadows. Sometimes a party of horsemen might have 
been seen in the distance slowly crossing the plain, the 
tufts of ostrich feathers which topped their long spears 
showing darkly against the evening sky. They w r ould ride 
up to my tent, and give me the usual salutation, ' Peace be 
with you, O Bey.' Then driving the end of their lances 
into the ground, they would spring from their mares, and 
fasten their halters to the still quivering weapons. Seating 
themselves on the grass, they related deeds of war and 
plunder, until the moon rose, when they vaulted into their 
saddles, and took the way of the desert." 

Completion of the Excavations at Nimroud. 

" Before leaving Nimroud and re-burying its palaces, I 
would wish to lead the reader once more through the ruins 
of the principal edifice, and to convey as distinct an idea 



468 



APPENDIX. 



as I am able of the excavated halls and chambers, as they 
appeared when fully explored. Let us imagine ourselves 
issuing from my tent near the village in the plain. On ap- 
proaching the mound, not a trace of building can be per- 
ceived, except a small mud hut covered with reeds, erected 
for the accommodation of my Chaldaean workmen. We 
ascend this artificial hill, but still see no ruins, not a 
stone protruding: from the soil. There is only a broad 
level platform before us. perhaps covered with a luxuriant 
crop of barley, or may be yellow and parched, without a 
blade of vegetation, except here and there a scanty tuft of 
camel-thorn. Low black heaps, surrounded by brushwood 
and dried grass, a thin column of smoke issuing from the 
midst of them, may be seen here and there. These are the 
tents of the Arabs ; and a few miserable old women are 
groping about them, picking up camels' dung or dry twigs. 
One or two girls, with firm step and erect carriage, are 
perceived just reaching the top of the mound, with the 
water-jar on their shoulders, or a bundle of brushwood on 
their heads. On all sides of us, apparently issuing from 
under- ground, are long lines of wild-looking beings with 
dishevelled hair, their limbs only half concealed by a short 
loose shirt, some jumping and capering, and all hurrying 
to and fro shouting like madmen. Each one carries a 
basket, and as he reaches the edge of the mound, or some 
convenient spot near, empties its contents, raising at the 
same time a cloud of dust. He then returns at the top of 
his speed, dancing and yelling as before, and flourishing 
his basket over his head ; again he suddenly disappears in 
the bowels of the earth, from whence he emerged. These 
are the workmen employed in removing the rubbish from 
the ruins. 

" We will descend into the principal trench, by a flight 
of steps rudely cut into the earth, near the western face of 
the mound. As we approach it, we find a party of Arabs 
bending on their knees, and intently gazing at something 
beneath them. Each holds his long spear, tufted with 
ostrich feathers, in one hand, and in the other the halter of 
his mare, which stands patiently behind him. The party 
consists of a Bedouin Sheikh from the desert, and his fol- 
lowers : who, having heard strange reports of the wonders 
of Ximroud, have made several days' journey to remove 
their doubts, and satisfy their curiosity. He rises as he 
hears us approach, and if we wish to escape the embrace 



APPENDIX. 



469 



of a very dirty stranger, we had better at once hurry into 
the trenches. 

" We descend about twenty feet, and suddenly find our- 
selves between a pair of colossal lions, winged and human- 
headed, forming a portal. I have already described my 
feelings when gazing for the first time on these majestic 
figures. Those of the reader would probably be the same, 
particularly if caused by the reflection^ that before those 
wonderful forms Ezekiel, Jonah, and others of the prophets 
stood, and Sennacherib bowed ; that even the patriarch 
Abraham himself may possibly have looked upon them. 

" In the subterraneous labyrinth which we have reached, 
all is bustle and confusion. Arabs are running about in 
different directions ; some bearing baskets filled with 
earth, others carrying the water-jars to their companions. 
The Chaldaeans or Tiyari, in their striped dresses and cu- 
rious conical caps, are digging with picks into the tenacious 
earth, raising a dense cloud of fine dust at every stroke. 
The wild strains of Kurdish music may be heard occasion- 
ally issuing from some distant part of the ruins, and if they 
are caught by the parties at work, the Arabs join their 
voices in chorus, raise the war-cry, and labour with re- 
newed energy. Leaving behind us a small chamber, in 
which the sculptures are distinguished by a want of finish 
in the execution, and considerable rudeness in the design 
of the ornaments, we issue from between the winged lions, 
and enter the remains of the principal hall. On both sides 
of us are gigantic winged figures ; some with the heads of 
eagles, others entirely human, and carrying mysterious 
symbols in their hands. To the left is another portal, also 
formed by winged lions. One of them has, however, fallen 
across the entrance, and there is just room to creep be- 
neath it . . ." Mr. Layard continues to lead his readers 
from chamber to chamber, and hall to hall ; but those who 
have not read his entire work would scarcely understand 
the details. " Whichever way we turn, we find ourselves 
in the midst of a nest of rooms ; and without an acquaint- 
ance with the intricacies of the place, we should soon lose 
ourselves in this labyrinth . . . We may wander through 
these galleries for an hour or two, examining the marvel- 
lous sculptures, or the numerous inscriptions that surround 
us. Here we meet long rows of kings, attended by their 
eunuchs and priests . . . Other entrances, formed by 
winged lions and bulls, lead us into new chambers. In 



470 



APPENDIX. 



every one of them are fresh objects of curiosity and sur- 
prise. At length, wearied, we issue from the buried edifice 
by a trench on the opposite side to that by which we en- 
tered, and find ourselves again upon the naked platform. 
We look around in vain for any traces of the wonderful 
remains we have just seen, and are half inclined to believe 
that we have dreamed a dream." The ruins of Nimroud 
have been again covered up, and her palaces hidden ; and 
the grass will again grow over the mounds, leaving no 
trace of all here described. 

Kalah Sherghat. 

The night on which Mr. Layard and his companions 
encamped before Kalah Sherghat was one to be long re- 
membered. Long peals of thunder were heard above the 
roaring of the wind and the noise of the rain which fell in 
torrents. The surrounding scenery was made visible, 
partly by the great fire which the Arabs were obliged to 
make to guard against the dangerous effects of cold and 
damp, and partly by the streams of vivid lightning. The 
great mound was like a mountain rising against the dark 
sky, and thousands of jackals in the ruins sent forth their 
dismal cry, in concert with the owl. Desolate indeed was 
the scene ! The river is gradually gaining upon and under- 
mining the ruins, having exposed to view parts of build- 
ings, vases, sarcophagi, &c. Kalah Sherghat might become 
again a place of importance. It is well suited for a station 
and post of defence, and the rich lands around might be 
cultivated without much difficulty. The caravans which 
carry on trade between Mosul and Bagdad, now make a 
detour to the left of the Tigris, passing the towns of Asbil 
and Kerkouk, and skirting the Kurdish hills, to avoid the 
enmity of some Arab tribes. But if the population of 
Mesopotamia were more settled, the high road between 
Mosul and Bagdad would be carried along the western 
banks, and Kalah Sherghat rise from its ruins. This road 
would be direct and short, and there would be no streams 
and torrents, as on the other side, to detain the caravans. 
Formerly, no doubt^ there was a line of settlements and 
stations on both sides of the river, but wild tribes now 
encamp there, and the merchant's task is a perilous one. 

The principal mound of Kalah Sherghat is one of the 
largest ruins in Assyria . . . That it was one of the most 



APPENDIX. 



471 



ancient cities of that country, the identification of the name 
of the king, found on its monuments and bricks, with that 
of the founder of the centre palace of Nimroud, sufficiently 
proves. It has shared the prosperity and the desolation 
of Nineveh. 

Remarks on the Assyrian Empire. 

We appear to be justified in attributing the highest 
antiquity to the Assyrian empire. In the land of Shinar, 
in the country watered by the Tigris and Euphrates, the 
Scripture places the earliest habitations of the human race. 
In the earliest times it was believed both by Egyptians 
and Jews, that the first settlements were in Assyria; and 
that from Chaldea, civilization, and the arts and sciences, 
were spread over the world. Abraham and his family, 
above 1900 years before Christ, migrated from a land 
already thickly inhabited, and possessing great cities. 
Josephus states that the four confederate kings w r ho 
marched against Sodom and the neighbouring cities, were 
under a king of Assyria, whose empire extended over all 
Asia. Most of the early Greek authors assign the first 
kings of Nineveh the remotest antiquity ; as do also the 
Armenian historians. Their united testimony even tends 
to identify or to confound Ninus, the first king, with Nim- 
rod himself, or with one of the immediate descendants 
of the scriptural Noah ... If the inscriptions of Egypt 
are correctly interpreted, we have distinct evidence that 
Nineveh was standing about 1490 years B.C., long before 
the period usually assigned to its foundation. It would 
appear to be mentioned in Scripture at least 1500 years 
before Christ . . . 1400 years before Christ, Chushan-rish- 
athaim, a king of Mesopotamia, subdued the Israelites; 
and 1450 years before Christ, Balaam, prophesying of the 
Kenites, described the power of the Assyrians." (Judges 
iii. 8 ; Numb. xxiv. 22.) 

Its ancient productions were much the same as at pre- 
sent. Sesame, millet, and corn, grew in rich abundance, 
and Herodotus, who had visited this fruitful country, says 
that he dares not mention the height to which the sesame 
and millet grew. From the sesame, oil was extracted ; 
and such is now the case, although the olive-tree is cul- 
tivated at the foot of the Kurdish hills. 

" The palm-tree also grew in great abundance. It does 



472 



APPENDIX. 



not now produce fruit further north than the junction of the 
Lesser Zab with the Tigris, and does not abound, as for- 
merly, on account of the want of cultivation and of settled 
habitations. It is raised inland as far north as the small 
town of Taza Kurmali, which takes its name — 'the place 
of fresh dates 5 — from the ripe fruit being there first met 
with on the road from Constantinople. That the fruit was 
exported in large quantities from the Babylonian plains, as 
it now is, as an article of commerce, may be inferred from 
palm-wine, or spirits extracted from the date, being men- 
tioned by Herodotus as the principal cargo brought by 
rafts to Babylon from Armenia. 

"The lofty mountains, which rise abruptly from the 
plains, occasion opposite degrees of temperature in As- 
syria. The soil is naturally rich, and its produce as 
varied as plentiful. The plains watered by the rivers are 
parched by a heat almost rivalling that of the torrid 
zone. Aromatic herbs, yielding perfumes celebrated by 
the poets, indigo, opium, and the sugar-cane, besides corn 
and grain of various kinds, and cotton and flax in abun- 
dance, were raised in this region. Indigo and opium are 
still cultivated, but the sugar-canes, which, in the time of 
the Persian Kings, covered the banks of the rivers of 
Susiana, have now disappeared. In the cooler tempera- 
ture of the hills, the mulberry afforded sustenance to the 
silkworm, and many kinds of fruit-trees flourished in the 
valleys. The vine is represented in the sculptures, and 
Rabshakeh described his country to the Jews as 1 a land of 
corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of 
olive-oil and of honey." 2 Kings xviii. 32. Amongst the 
objects of tribute brought to the Egyptians from the people 
of these countries, are corn, bread, palm-wine, wine, 
honey, incense, and conserve of dates. The domestic 
animals of the ancient Assyrians were probably such as 
are still found in the country . . . sheep, goats, oxen, 
horses, mules, and camels." — Layard's Xineveh. 



INDEX. 



Abana and Pharpar, 29. 
Achmetha or Ecbatana, 117. 
Mgean Sea, 283. 
Akaba, 380. 

Akerkouf, perhaps Accad, 105. 
Aleppo (Helbon), 50. 
Alexandria, 304. 
Al-Hadhr, 76. 
Al-Hheimar, 104. 
Al-Kosh, 73. 
Ammon, 437. 

Ammon No (Thebes), 336. 
Antioch in Pisidia, 148. 

Syria, 51. 

Ar of Moab, 441. 
Arabs, the, 422. 
Ararat, Mount, 134. 

Ascent of, 130. 

-= Monastery on, 139 . 

■ partial fall of, 144. 

. top of, 140. 

Areopagus, 231. 

Arguri, Village of, 127. 

Armenia, 123. 

Arnon Uiver, 444. 

Aroer, 445. 

Arphad or Arpad, 48. 

Ashtaroth, 34. 

Asia Minor, 146—224. 

Assos, 224. 

Assyria, 57—79. 

Athens, 227. 

Aven, On, or Bethshemesh, 323. 

Baalbec, probably the Baal-Gad and 

Baal-Hamon of Scripture, 38. 
Baal-Meon, 449. 
Babel or Babylon, 81. 



Babylonia, 80—111. 
Bagdad, 111. 
Bekaa, Valley of, 8 . 
Bethshemesh, On, or Aven, 323. 
Beyrout, 42. 

View of Lebanon from, 5. 

Birs Mmrod, Tower of Babel or 

Belus, 95. 
Bozrah of Edom, 420. 
Boszra of Hauran, 33. 

Cairo, 312. 

Calah or Halah (Holwan), 77. 

Calneh (Ctesiphon) 106. 

Cenchrasa, 235. 

Charran or Haran, 57- 

Chios, 277. 

Cnidus, 286. 

Colosse, 215. 

Coos, 284. 

Corinth, 235. 

Crete or Candia, 270. 

Cyprus, 287. 

Damascus, 16 — 32. 
Desert, Life in the, 379. 
Dibon, 445, 447. 
Dura, 104. 

Ecbatana or Achmetha, 117- 

Edom or Idumsea, 394. 

Edrei, 34. 

Egypt, 291—348. 

Elath, 381. 

El-Deir at Petra, 410. 

Elealah, 449. 

Elim, 364. 

Ephesus, 157. 

I I 



474 



INDEX. 



Erech, 105. 
Ethiopia, 349. 
Euphrates, the, 101. 
Ezion-gaber, 380. 

Gebal, Byblus, or Jebeil, 43. 
Georgian Slaves, 46. 
Goshen, Land of, 321. 
Graia, Island of, 384. 
Greece, 225—239. 

Hamadan, 120. 

Hameth, 44. 

Haran or Charran, 57. 

Hauran, the, 32—35. 

Hazeroth, 377. 

Helbon (Aleppo), 50. 

Heliopolis, 323. 

Heshbon, 449. 

Hierapolis, 211. 

Hillah on the Euphrates, 101 . 

Holwan, Calah, or Halah, 77. 

Homs, 47. 

Horeb, Mount, 371. 

Hor, Mount, 387. 

Iconium, 147. 
Idumeea, 3S6— 436. 
Isamboul, Temples of, 351. 
Italy, 240—259. 

Jabbok, Brook, 458. 
Joktheel. Vide Selah. 

Kalah Sherkat, 72, 469. 
Kenath or -sobah, 35. 
IQiasne,the, at Petra, 409, 
Kir Moab, 438. 
Kuth or Kutha, 110. 

Laodicea, 204. 
Lebanon, 1 — 16. 

Ascent of, 8. 

Xight on, 10. 

Terrace cultivation, 14, 

the Cedars of, 12. 

Yiew of from Beyrout, 5. 

Macedonia and Greece, 225. 
Maon, 419. 



Marah, 362. 
Medeba, 443. 
Media, 112. 

Mediterranean, Islands of the. 260 — 
290. 

Melita (Malta), 264. 
Memphis, Noph, 326. 
Mesopotamia, 57. 
Miletus, 280. 
Mitvlene, 277. 
Moab, 437. 

= Plains of, 444. 

Maeris, Lake, 334. 
Moses, Wells of, 359. 
Mujelibe, the, at Babylon, 92. 
Mummy Pits of Saccara, 333. 

Nebo, Mount, 442. 

Nile, River, 298. 

Ximrod, Ruins of, 66, 464. 

Nineveh, 61, 461. 

Xobah or Kenath, 35. 

Noph, Moph, or Memphis, 326. 

On, Aven, or Bethshemesh, 323. 
Orontes, the, 44. 

Paphos, 288. 
Paran,368. 
Patara, 156. 
Patmos, 282. 
Pergamos, 179. 
Persepolis, 116. 
Persia, 112. 
Petra, 400. 
Philae, Island of, 350. 
Philadelphia, 193. 
; Puteoli (Pozzuoli), 254. 
Pyramids, the, 330. 

Rabbah, or Rabbath Amnion, 450. 

Rabbah, or Rabbath Moab, 441. 

Rameses, 321. 

Rechabites, the, 436. 

Red Sea, 356. 

\ Passage of the, 359. 

i Eastern Gulf of the, 380. 

Rhoda, Island of, 318. 

Rhodes, 234. 

Riblah, 44. 

Rome, 241. 

Rosetta, 311. 



INDEX. 



475 



Saccara, Mummy Pits at, 333. 
Salamis, 288. 
Samos, 280. 
Sardis, 189. 

Selah, or Joktheel (Petra), 400. 
Seleucia in Babylonia, .106. 

in Syria, 51. 

Serug, 57. 

Sbinar, Plains of, or Babylonia, 80. 
Shushan, the Palace, 113. 
Sicily, 261. 
Sihor, 298. 

Sin, Wilderness of, .366. 

Sinai, Wilderness of, 355 — 385. 

Mount, 371. 

Summit of, 376. 

Smyrna, 171. 
Suez, 358. 
Syene, 347. 

Syk, the, or approach to Petra, 404. 
Syracuse, 261. 



Tadmor in the Desert, 36. 
Takhti-Soleiman, 121. 
Tanis or Zoan, 319. 
Tarsus. 155. 

Thebes (Ammon No) 336. 
Thessalonica, 226. 
Thyatira, 184. 
Tigris, the, 58. 

fine scenery near the, 59. 

Tripoli, 13. 
Troas, 220. 
Trogyllium, 280. 

Ur of the Chaldees. 

Wady-Mousa, Valley of Moses, 404, 
415. 

Zedad, 44. 

Zoan or Tanis, 319. 



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